20160
by chemicalria
Summary: Noctis wanted a divorce. Prompto asked for fourteen days. After an incident occurred near the Rock of Ravatogh, those who survived were suddenly stricken with an unknown sickness. An hourglass of life gives potential for fallacy in their little ordeal. As the two fake it to make it, feelings change. Does Noctis truly want the separation? [AU. Angst. Promptis. You've been warned.]
1. Contrition

_**Main summary** : _Noctis _wanted a divorce. Prompto had an even more important request.  
_ **Pairing** : Prompto Argentum/Noctis Lucis Caelum, Noctis Lucis Caelum/Lunafreya Nox Fleuret  
 **Genre** : Romance, drama, infidelity, implied!character death? ( **you've been warned** ).  
 **Disclaimer** : I don't own FFXV. Some parts of these stories are inspired by others.

* * *

 **Warning** : This story will tend to be lengthy and full of emotional turmoil. If you're ready for this love rollercoaster ride, then read on ahead!

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 **20160; 336**

* * *

Their time of courtship lasted six months. Ignis thought it could have gone better if Noctis had asked for help, but it didn't matter. Noctis simply wanted to find someone who made him feel normal and not as a prince. When he found that someone, their happiness was measured in the amount of laughter they shared—from playing videogames or battling each other in King's Knight, cheap dates at Crow's Nest or expensive dinners from surprise dates, endless nights spent with sleepovers, watching movies, and waking up tangled in each other's arms, and the love they had for one another. They shared brief kisses on college campus, sufficed in areas in which reporters couldn't find them. Even if Prompto was confused at first, he didn't mind and Noctis was satisfied with everything.

It took Noctis two days to come down from his cool and teasing demeanor towards Prompto and muster up the courage to approach the lively sunshine after a trip with his dad in Altissia, but it only took Prompto a few seconds to say yes to whatever the crown prince of Lucis, was asking him. They were twenty and such children.

"At first I didn't want to believe you were the prince," Prompto had admitted then frowned. "But then, kissing behind buildings and rushing home after our dates; you have your own penthouse _and_ Ignis comes over to cook dinner and give you 'homework'. It all makes sense now, including _your_ name!"

Noctis smiled nervously and rubbed the back of his neck. "I hope that doesn't change anything…"

Smiling, Prompto grabbed his books and placed it in his locker. "'Course not, Noct. You're still a sleepyhead _and_ a mess, well _royal_ mess. Like, dude… You sure you're the prince? Cause your apartment says something else."

"…Shut uuup."

After a couple of months, they learned more about each other. Prompto was majoring in Photography and journalism, though he said he didn't have any plans on working for something big like Insomnia's Magazine. He preferred taking photos of scenery and writing stories in his individual time. He was an independent student; his parents were always out on business trips. Noctis was in politics and business. Everyone who saw them thought they were a strange pair, and many had known Noctis during his childhood years where he visited Tenebrae and befriended the lovely Princess Lunafreya, who he immediately forgot after growing up. Many were against their relationship and pointed out their differences—Prompto was more open about his thoughts and he was constantly smiling; Noctis always had this look on his face with a quiet demeanor, his royal upbringing reflected in his language and poise made him unapproachable. But their differences went deeper than their majors and personality. Prompto loved to wake up every morning to run and wrote stories of impossible situation and fantasies (like a prince having to sacrifice his life to save the world). He loved drinking his coffee sweetened and with ice. Noctis, on the other hand, liked his coffee hot with milk and lots of sugar, and could fall asleep almost anywhere and preferred practicality and realism. After witnessing the hardships his father went through, it only made sense why Noctis was realistic with everything.

People believed Prompto's fun and bright personality would never match Noctis' collected and rational self, but they were wrong. Because within six months of absolute and loving perfection, Noctis went on his knees, took Prompto's hand and proposed to him. How could Prompto Argentum possibly refuse?

* * *

King Regis was very supportive of them and grew fond of Prompto immediately upon meeting over dinner. Prompto loved him very much and Regis reciprocated this by hugging his future son-in-law. Gender was never a problem with Regis. He just wanted his son to be happy. That's all that ever mattered.

"Dad, you're smothering him…" Noctis said, trying to pull Prompto away from his father's grip. Prompto chuckled nervously, mouthing that it was okay.

"My apologies, Prompto." Regis pulled away and Prompto shook his head.

"It's alright, your Majesty."

"Please, call me dad. You're going to marry my lazy son after all."

"I'm not lazy!"

They had to wait a few months before promising to love each other until death would tear them apart. There were a lot of things to be done, a lot of things to avoid, and Noctis thought Prompto was about to give in. A prince had a lot of responsibilities and Prompto was reminded of the commoner that he was and began to doubt himself along the way. How could he ever stay beside the man who would rule Lucis?

But Noctis didn't need someone of royal descent beside him. All that Noctis wanted was Prompto to stand by his side because Prompto loved him as Noctis, not as the prince. If the time ever comes and he stops becoming the prince or the king he's supposed to be, Prompto would still be there for him, because they weren't just lovers. They were best friends.

After their graduation, they had their wedding. King Regis wanted Noctis to move back to the Citadel and bring Prompto with him, but Noctis didn't want Prompto to feel uncomfortable. Prompto moved out of his parents' home and moved into Noctis' apartment. It was to Ignis' relief that Noctis manned up and cleaned his home before the blonde arrived.

"If I knew that Prompto was going to be this much of an impact to you, I would have had him move in a long time ago," Ignis stated, completely astounded. "Would you consider eating vegetables as well?"

Noctis rolled his eyes and stuck out his tongue. "Prompto eats some of my vegetables. So, _no_ , Specs."

His advisor sighed.

* * *

When Prompto moved in, his touches made Noctis' apartment into a home. A home that Noctis enjoyed returning from meetings or work. Ignis' visit came lesser than it used to be. His role cooking dinner was eventually, not purposely, taken over by Prompto. There was no complaint and was rather glad because Prompto finds ways to hide the taste of vegetables and Noctis wouldn't detect any of it. Every night, he'd hold Prompto from behind as Prompto cooked his dinner and whispered promises of getting a house far from the city, one where he could see the mountains and the sea and take countless photos of the sunrise. And every night, Prompto would smile into Noctis' bare chest and thank him, even though he was satisfied with what he had.

"Lestallum has the best food _and_ a view," Noctis commented. "But Cape Caem should have a good fishing spot down the west."

"Fishing again… But Cape Caem's far, don't you think?" Prompto chuckled. "And dude, where do you keep all your fishing gears anyway?"

"Stored in _my magical closet_ ," Noctis winked, poking Prompto's nose. "Stop calling me dude, blondie. I'm your husband now."

"My bad, my prince _charming_." Prompto sang then playfully tugged on Noctis' necktie to tease, "So, Noctis, do you happen to have an extra condom in your magical closet? Cause we're out."

"Mmm…" Noctis thought about it then surprised Prompto by picking him up in his arms and taking him into their bedroom. "Maybe we don't need one tonight."

"But how about our dinner? You must be hungry from work, Noct." Prompto's concern was genuine.

Shrugging and nuzzling against Prompto's neck as he walked down the hall, Noctis shook his head. "Let me have my dessert first."

"Astrals, don't say embarrassing shit like— _ah_! Noct!"

"M-My hand slipped!"

Noctis' work ethic and royal duties enabled him to earn money without his dad's help. As his income rose, so did their bank account. Noctis was doing well with his prince responsibilities, Regis thought it was time for him to pass the crown to his son. They talked about it, talked it through, and Noctis felt like it was time for his dad to step down and relax. It was going to get busy, but he was going to do it for his dad and for Prompto. One night, Noctis gently took Prompto's camera away from him and set it down on top of the headboard.

"So, uh…" he started slowly, shifting on their bed as he was getting nervous with Prompto's bright smile. "Remember how I said I'd get us a house far from Insomnia? W-Well I… Uh, want to buy you that house. I know you said you're satisfied with what we have now, but… you know… I want to keep my promise."

Prompto was speechless, but he managed to nod before he wraps his arms around Noctis' neck and thanked him. They talked amongst other things and shared a few laughs together until Noctis yearned for his husband's touch. He asked Prompto to undo his royal raiment and Prompto obliged, still trying to calm himself from the previous conversation they laughed over.

Noctis watched his husband's chest heave up then down, tracing his chest up to his pale hands that had removed his coat and now undoing the buttons of his sleeves. When Prompto finished removing his clothes, Noctis gently removed Prompto's top (which was actually his shirt) and pajamas. He had always been aware that Prompto was self-conscious, but Noctis was breathless. From his blue eyes to his freckled cheeks, his slightly pink lips down to his slightly freckled shoulders, his broad chest and slightly wide hips… Noctis' eyes were traveling down lower with a heavy breath.

"Stop staring, Noct." Prompto whined with quivering lips as he pulled the sheets to cover his body and face. "If your eyes could eat, I'm halfway eaten already."

Noctis apologized, reached for the sheets and lowered it down to reveal Prompto's skin and flushed face. "I love you, Prompto." Noctis kissed Prompto's forehead. "You're just so beautiful to look at."

Prompto tried to look away from Noctis' gaze and pouted. "Dude… I'm not a woman."

"How many times- stop calling me dude!" He held Prompto's chin up and stole a quick peck of Prompto's lips. "Alright, fine. Picky little—" Noctis took a breath in before continued to talk in frustration. "You're handsome. Good looking, stunning, and _sexy_. Astrals, sexy! Prompto, I'd do you all night— _geez_. You're perfect, so perfect. For me. Stop making it _hard_ for me than it already is. Literally."

Prompto's laughter echoed once more that night. As they entangled themselves in each other, savoring the touches and making love, slow and deep, Prompto's laughter turned into noises of pleasure and he continued to say Noctis' name within each thrust. They made love over and over again that night, and the moon had never shunned brighter than it did then.

* * *

The house that Noctis bought was indeed in Cape Caem. Thanks to Ignis, Gladio, and Monica, he was able to renovate the place faster than anticipated. It was small, but it was a perfectly quiet estate near the ocean. Perfect for him. There was a lighthouse and Regis was able to call old man Cid, Cindy's grandpa, who's Prompto's close friend, to get the elevator and the lights to work again. When Noctis found the house, he thought it was perfect for Prompto. Even though everything was far, the scenery was beautiful and there was a fishing spot not too far from their location.

When Noctis took Prompto to their new home, he asked, "So what do you think?" The look on Prompto's face had already given the answer.

"I don't know what to say…" Prompto walked up towards the lighthouse then looked at their house. "I love it, Noct…"

Knowing that his mission was accomplished, Noctis took Prompto's hand in his. "Cool. Then it's settled, we're getting this house."

Prompto looked up, a bit worried. "Uh, this is hours away from Insomnia. You're going to be King."

Noctis shrugged and crossed his arms. "Doesn't matter. If you love it then I don't mind the commute. Dad's giving me the Regalia and I can have it upgraded so it can fly. Do you think flying is faster? I think it takes longer to start… Anyway, it's not an impossible thing. I can commute back and forth."

Minutes passed and after a moment, Prompto asked him again if it was really alright. Noctis kissed him and nodded, and soon after, the papers were signed and the two moved out of the apartment.

* * *

The agreement was for Noctis to travel back and forth from work and Prompto traveled the outskirts of Lucis to complete photo-op assignments for Vyv who he kept in touch with through the internet and continue his career, but as time went on, Noctis' work began to pile up and had to start working overtime. The endless cycle continued, Noctis found it hard to commute on a daily basis, even with Ignis' offer to pick him up and take him home. Noctis never thought his dad worked this much in his lifetime; he often found himself tired. One time, he drove home blurry eyed. Because of this, he asked Ignis for his Ebony and drank caffeine before driving, which could cause him to crash during meetings or make him unable to sleep once he arrived back home.

It gave Prompto room for concern, as he began to feel guilty for enjoying his life while Noctis suffered his Kingly duties and worked hard to give him that type of lifestyle, including making his dad proud. After contemplating about different possibilities, Prompto came to one plausible solution to the problem.

"Uh, Noct? Maybe you should ask Ignis to open your apartment in the city again," Prompto gently suggested at their dinner table one night. When he looked up to his husband, he saw tired blue eyes looking back at him.

"You want me to go back to the penthouse?" Noctis asked, sounding like he was in disbelief

Prompto gave him a concerned look. "I don't like seeing you like this, Noct. You wake up every day to go to work, but you look like you're half dead. When you come home, you end up looking worse and sometimes you don't even sleep. You just stay up in the study and work on reports—you spend hours going back and forth but," Prompto breathes. "That could be time to use to get more sleep…"

Already in a bad mood, Noctis rubbed the corner of his eyes. "Prom, I'm fine."

"No, you're not!" Argued Prompto. "Listen, Ignis would agree with me, your apartment could mean—"

"I said I'm _fine_ , Prompto," Noctis repeated sharply. "Quit worrying, damnit."

Prompto grew irritated at Noctis' indifference. Maybe Noctis was tired, but he didn't have the right to overlook his growing worry. Setting down his utensil, Prompto stood up from the table. "Why? Is it wrong to worried about you!?' he cried in strained voice. It wasn't like him to sound so pained. It wasn't the bright, sunshine, he once saw.

Unlike Prompto, Noctis kept himself in his seat, moving the vegetables on the side of his plate. "Prompto, sit down."

With clenched fists, Prompto glowered. "No. Noctis, you're not listening to me. I just want to help you."

"Help me?" Noctis raised his brow and snapped. "No, Prom. To me, getting on my case and the idea of me getting a separate place to live makes it sound like you want me gone." The lack of sleep and the fact that he was overworking himself did no good other than make him more irritable. He didn't have Ebony that night. His body was searching for sleep.

Taken aback, Prompto looked shocked and took a step back. "That is _not_ what I want! I said nothing like that!"

"Keep your voice down, Prompto." Noctis growled. "You're being too loud. Monica and Talcott just left the house."

Frustrated, Prompto stepped out of the table and harshly pushed his chair in. "Shit, Noct. I don't want you gone! Damnit, I love you so much, it hurts watching you add wasted hours of stress onto your day just traveling back and forth to me." Prompto bit his lips that began to quiver. "It hurts bad, Noct. You don't even see it because the moment you step into this house, you fall asleep. You don't even look at me anymore because you're that tired."

For minutes, Prompto waited for a response, but Noctis remained uninterested.

Then putting his utensils down, Noctis looked up to him, "Prom, you're being overdramatic," he muttered.

Prompto felt like Ramuh had just truck him with lightning. It seemed that there was no reaching Noctis. Even though they were husbands, Noctis refused to listen to him and even had the audacity to say he was being "overdramatic" when he was just expressing his concerns. Shaking with his clenched fists, Prompto turned and left the table before Noctis could see the bitter tears that formed in his eyes.

* * *

Noctis felt like his body weighed a ton and began to worry. When his mind was finally in full clarity, he considered Prompto's proposal a few nights ago. He admitted his fault in not allowing Prompto the chance to present his situation, but ultimately blamed the lack of sleep for causing his sour and disagreeable mood that night. Finally, willing to hear out his husband, Noctis knocked on Prompto's closed and locked office door.

Noctis took a deep breath. "Prom, I know you're in there. Open the door please." As a minute passed by, Noctis knocked again.

"Prompto, open the door. We need to talk and making me just stand out here is wasting time."

It didn't take long until Noctis heard Prompto unlock the door. Noctis let himself in and watched as Prompto turned his back to him and sit back down on his desk to focus on a batch of photos he had taken from today's photo-op were scattered all over the place. Noctis wasn't pleased at Prompto's decision to give him the cold shoulder, but he rationalized that he probably deserved it. Neither of them spoke for what seemed the longest until Noctis set his hands on the back of Prompto's chair, leaning over him.

"Prompto…" he said softly. "I don't like it when you ignore me…"

Turning his head around, Prompto gave his King a sad but angry look. "But when I actually care, I'm being overdramatic, right?"

At that moment, Noctis regretted not biting his tongue the night they talked in the kitchen. He knew they were different. Prompto liked to voice himself out whether that meant moving his hands or straining his voice, whereas he liked to keep things settled. But sometimes he'd forget that Prompto's habits made Prompto the way he is—insult those intricate details, and ultimately hurting his spouse.

With a solemn look on his face, Noctis turned Prompto's chair around and pulled him up. Prompto resisted and Noctis tugged his arms a little bit stronger until Prompto reluctantly stood up, trying to avoid his eyes. Noctis engulfed him in his arms, wrapping them around Prompto's waist and nestled his head against the crook Prompto's neck.

"I didn't mean that." Slightly rocking their bodies side to side for comfort, Noctis continued. "I'm sorry, Prompto."

It seemed like forever before Prompto finally moved his arms, his fingers brushing through Noctis' black locks, slowly tracing the back of Noctis' neck with his index finger. Noctis shivered and Prompto finally wraps his arms around Noctis' neck. "You've been really moody lately, Noct."

The lack of sleep and overtime at the Citadel did its damage. It was clear to him, as Noctis pursed his lips, that the damage was not only done to himself and his body, but it was clearly affecting the relationship he had with his husband as well. "I know, I'm so sorry."

To Noctis, he knew there was nothing more he could do other than the apologies that slipped from his mouth. He couldn't make promises or take the time off from Insomnia to get away from his duties. He couldn't promise to get home earlier or to cut work, or to get more sleep. He couldn't even promise taking naps, the naps that he used to love taking back during their college days. Promises like those were impractical. He didn't know if he could even uphold them, so Noctis had decided that it was better to give no promises at all rather than to give a hallow one and hurt Prompto again. If he hadn't been listening or if the room hadn't been quiet, Noctis wouldn't have heard Prompto's sniffle. When he tried to look at the blonde's face, Prompto only hugged him tighter, pressing his face harder against his shoulders to keep him from seeing. Noctis stood for a while, feeling the side of his coat soak the hot, tears, and only moved to kiss Prompto's neck.

"I shouldn't have put you down," Noctis admitted apologetically as Prompto's grip lightened. He took the opportunity to place a soft kiss on top of Prompto's head and wipe the tears off his lover's freckled cheeks. "You were just trying to help."

Prompto was silent for a moment before he lifted his head up. "I'm worried about you, Noct. You know that right?" Noctis nodded with guilt. "Sometimes I think that getting a house all the way here in Cape Caem was a mistake. I feel so guilty at night, Noct," Prompto cried with a breaking voice. "I know you did all of this for me and now you're like this. I can't—"

Noctis cut him off by cupping his face and giving a sharp look in his eyes. "Stop it, Prom. You don't have the right to feel guilty about anything. I did this for you because I love you. Why I'm like this has nothing to do with you. It's because of work, so don't blame yourself for my struggles."

"But if we picked some place in the city, then—"

"It'd still be the same," Noctis argued. "The amount of work load I'd have at the Citadel and the same amount of unreasonable travels I have to go through on a day to day basis. Plus, you wouldn't be able to travel out here and take wonderful photos like _these"_ He pointed out to the photos scattered on the table, "—or concentrate writing sappy stories. Look, I know how important your photo assignments are. You're going to have your own show and submit these photos in big portfolios and you don't need any distractions. That's why we're here. That's why I picked this place. Even if I had the chance to change anything back to when we were looking for a house, I wouldn't change my decision, because I promised you something like this and I got it. It's our haven from the city, Prom."

Prompto glanced down, dropped his hold around Noctis' neck, and held Noctis' hands. "The commute is too long. You drive in the early morning and late at night. You don't even want to accept Ignis' offer to drive you home. I can't help but worry. I don't want you to get into an accident because you're too dead tired to keep your eyes open," he said. With a shaky breath, Prompto exhaled and looked back up. "Noctis, please. Consider going back to your apartment, even though it's a temporary place for you. Just somewhere to go if you find that you don't have it in you to come home. It can even be the Citadel or—"

Noctis opened his mouth to argue, but Prompto gave him a look. "I don't want you gone and I don't like the idea of us being separated. Like I said the other night, I _don't_ want you gone. Gods, if I could have you stop being King and have you right beside me, I would. But I know our life isn't like that. So, if it's easier on you and your body then…"

"Prom, at least at the end of the day there's still you," Noctis interrupted. "I don't want to stay in the Citadel, and I don't like the idea of staying in an apartment without you either. I might be tired as hell, I might even look like hell, but at least I get to come home to you."

"If you fall asleep driving or if a daemon out in the prowl attacks you, then _no_ , Noctis." Prompto said in a stern, broken voice. "You won't get to come home to me. You'd be dead and the next place I'd be seeing you is in a morgue, identifying your body and trying to explain to your father what happened and how I could've done something to prevent it from happening. I can't handle the thought of it!"

Noctis dropped the hold Prompto had on him and put his hands on Prompto's shoulders. "Prompto—"

"I had a lot of time to myself, Noct. I did the math, okay?" Prompto said, trying to change the subject from something less morbid. "It's easier and more convenient for you rather than checking into a motel near Lucis or a hotel in the city over and over again."

"Prompto…" Noctis groaned. "I _don't_ care. If anything, you're the only one that's been keeping me grounded, keeping me sane. Sleeping at some apartment in the city might mean I get an hour or two more of sleep, but that'd be fucking isolating me from you and I'm telling you I don't want that, damn it!"

"Th-then let's sell the house and I'll move back into the city with you!" Prompto said desperately.

Noctis looked at him like he had seen a ghost. "What?"

Prompto furrowed his eyebrows, trying to think hard. "Let's sell this house and I'll move back—no—we'll move back to the city. It'll be—"

"No!" Noctis said adamantly. "We're not selling this house. I got this house especially for you because it's perfect for you and it's what you need."

"But, Noct—"

"I said no, Prompto." Noctis was definite, giving Prompto an apologetic look. "I don't want you to have to give this up. I don't want to take you to a place where it's always about the fast life—the loud hustling and bustling of the city and I'm not there. No."

Prompto asked softly. "…then what do you want to do?"

Moments passed and looking down at him, Noctis sighed and rubbed the back of his neck before cupping one side of Prompto's cheek, brushing his thumb against his soft skin in circles.

"Fine, I'll…" He clicked his tongue and let out a deep breath. "I'll go back to my old apartment, but we're going to sit down and plan everything out together." Noctis decided sharply "Like, if I'm scheduled to have a busy week, you have to come and visit me at least during the weekends or—weekday to cook me something or so that we can spend time together, because I need you too, Prompto. It's not just sleep that I need. I need you in bed, with me, whether it's just to go to bed together or to do something more."

Prompto eventually nodded slowly, slightly happy to Noctis' compliance. "We won't let distance be a problem. We'll video call—No, I'll call. I'll call during your lunch breaks and everything. I'll even send you photos of places I went to. And you have to call me if you decide you want to come home for the night, but as for the weekends, you have to try to come back for at least those two days. Saturday and Sunday, because…" he smiled slightly. "Because I need you too."

Catching and interlocking their hands together, Noctis finally relaxed his shoulders. "When do you want to plan everything out? Sleeping is catching up to me and I want you there beside me."

"Doesn't everything depend around your schedule?" Prompto kindly reminded with a small teasing tone and an attempted smile.

That remark was true though. Everything they did together had to fit around Noctis' schedule. It wasn't like that before. Back to when they were newlywed, Noctis wasn't as busy as he used to be and had more room to change his activities at work. Now that he took the full responsibility as a king, everything was structured. Things like meetings and doing rounds around different cities were things he couldn't move, and it was very rare for anything else to be rescheduled just because he wanted a day off to be with his spouse. The citizens of Lucis were afraid of the threats that Niflheim was throwing towards their country and Noctis needed to act on that quick. Even though things had changed, they had learned how to cope with these strained changes, especially Prompto. Noctis was slow at noticing, even though Prompto was just as slow, but it was only because he was part of it all. Prompto only noticed more because he was the one that paid attention, sitting idly, and watching his husband do his work and leaving him at the beginning.

"Let's go when you have a day off."

"I don't have any days off, Prom."

Prompto let out a small laugh and punched him lightly on the side. "I know," he sighed in exaggeration and shrugged. "I'll write my conditions and you do the same when you find time. If you don't have the time to tell Ignis about your apartment, I'll do it for you."

After studying Prompto's face for a moment, Noctis softly asked, "are you sure about this?"

The bright, smile had returned on Prompto's face as he nodded his head. "Yeah. It'll be like, uh, owning two houses, I guess. It'll be fine." He said, hugging Noctis again. Prompto buried his face in Noctis chest this time and he wrapped his arms around Prompto.

"We'll be fine…" Prompto repeated.

* * *

If there was a word that perfectly described their situation, it was definitely " _fine_ ", but fine only lasted a while. At first, their arrangement turned out okay. Noctis returned to his old apartment and when he didn't feel like he could safely go home, they put their plan into effect. On nights when Noctis decided to stay in the city, Prompto—if he could—would quickly prepare some food, take a fairly long ride from Cape Caem to Insomnia, and then the subway just to give Noctis his dinner. Prompto always made sure that the food tasted just right and that it was something Noctis was craving. It was something he developed after spending his time with Noctis for so many years, for five years. And after being married for 2 years, it's only reasonable that Ignis no longer comes over to cook the man food. He had Prompto.

Noctis tried to go home on the weekends just like the planned, but he found that exhaustion would just take over him by the end of the week that he couldn't allow himself the well-being to do so. After many attempts and only few successful tries, Prompto smiled at him and told him that it was alright to stay in the city and that he didn't need to push himself just to go home. Noctis was hesitant in accepting Prompto's kind gesture at first, but in the end, he began staying in the city during the weekends. And even though the apartment was supposed to be used for those difficult moments when he couldn't get himself home, Noctis began to use it frequently each week until months had passed since he last stepped foot on the property he had gotten for the two of them in Cape Caem. In a way, their haven was now blurred in his memory, replaced by the practical function that his old bedroom apartment in the city had to offer: convenience.

* * *

Because of his maintained absence, Noctis sent Nyx to Cape Caem to guard Prompto in case anything happens. As much as he would have loved taking Nyx's place instead so he could be with his beloved, he didn't have the physical strength to do anything besides his magical powers. It was absurd, to him it was, how duties of a King could drain one's life away if not physically, but mentally.

"If you need a break son, you just let me know and I'll take over for you." Regis told him one day, noticing that his son was absorbed in the financial report of the city rather than packing to go home to see Prompto.

"It's alright dad," Noctis waved him off gently. "I just need to make sure this gets by, then I'll head back to my apartment."

"Apartment?" Regis frowned. "Not back home? In Cape Caem?"

Noctis cursed mentally. It was Ignis, Gladiolus, and Prompto who only knew of this situation. "Uh, yeah, Prompto and I decided that if the workload becomes too much and I'm too tired to go back, I can just stay here in the city."

Regis was caught by surprise. "He's alright with it? Don't you want to go back home?"

The word "home" lingered in his mouth. His heart once told him that home was where Prompto was, but now, he wasn't sure.

"Yeah…" He muttered softly. "But I'm honestly too tired to travel back." Back home, but he only managed to go that far.

When he got back to his apartment, Noctis threw his bag on the kitchen countertop. His apartment was a mess, cans of coffee on the living room table and beer bottles on the ground beneath the kitchen sink. Noctis reminded himself to clean up once he gained the strength to do it the next day. After he showered and relaxed on the couch, he thought of the times when college Prompto would arrive with snacks on his hands, ready for another round of video games. Those were fun times. He found himself slightly smiling at the memory, but the smile quickly diminished the moment he realized he could barely remember what happened during their days.

The memories he had with Prompto during their college years, in this very apartment, began to fade away. Noctis at first, wasn't sure if it was due to the amount of work that was piling up, but the thought was gone the next second, because his new world began to pull him back in.

* * *

On Prompto's part, his visits to Noctis' apartment became less and less due to the deadline of his first portfolio. Vyv was all over his ass about it, but he would take the time and try to reach Noctis by the phone or video call when he could, but like everything else, those moments declined in numbers also. When Noctis had a meeting to attend or had a bunch of reports to manage, Noctis was sleeping after collecting and planning his sets of photos until the break of dawn when he would finally collapse on his bed alone.

In the rarity of those moments, Prompto would have luck on his side when calling his husband, but their conversations were always brief and typical. Overtime, it had gotten bland with the casual and usual questions of "How have you been?" and "Have you eaten yet?" The calls were always kept brief because of the simple fact they both knew how one or the other either needed to go to sleep or go back to work.

One night, Prompto lied alone in their bed with nothing to look at, but the full moon glowing past outside the window and the soft swaying of the thin curtains as the leaves outside danced along with the wind. His camera was untouched for today and he thought about their decision. He pondered about what was happening. There was a rift. The distance was becoming greater. Distance was not a kind factor, but it was something that he thought they would overcome. The fact that they barely saw each other in person wasn't a very big factor. To Prompto, it was more. Distance didn't matter because even if they lived under the same roof, the situation would still be the same. Both of them would still be too busy for each other. It's the same situation, just with different circumstances.

* * *

Back in college, Prompto also had an interest in machinery and different languages. One of the things that sparked his interests, were his parents' ability to communicate with patients in their desired language and he had always wanted to learn, so that there would be a connection with them that will never fade.

One of the things he'd do to Noctis was leave him messages in foreign languages that he knew his political-business minded boyfriend would have no idea how to read. To him, it was one of the fun parts; watching Noctis do work in deciphering his message.

The messages had always been simple, but they were full of meaning. Sometimes, they were as simple as "I love you" notes. Noctis, despite looking and acting like a handsome, cold-shouldered prince, would write back the words in English, a language they both shared.

* * *

With machinery perks, one of the things that Prompto picked up on his many days of being with Noctis around the library, was an interest in binary codes. As Noctis would sit and look through stacks of reference books for an upcoming test or quiz in one of his classes, Prompto would look over the shoulders of other students, observing them as he usually did since he was more of an observer than a doer. He was a visual person. It wasn't until he looked over one student's book that his interest was caught by the amount of ones and zeros on the page.

The student was writing in a language Prompto recognized, but their eyes were glued to the book. It took him a while to realize that they were translating the numbers. No matter how much he stared, Prompto couldn't figure out how the hell they were getting letters from what looked like a random arrangement of the first two positive numbers—even though one could argue that zero is a neutral number.

Prompto stepped back and returned to where Noctis sat. He then quickly asked Noctis what he just saw, described it, and Noctis simply answered with his usual teasing face, "It's binary code, Prom."

Binary.

The numbers were simple, but the sequences would make the ignorant frustrated. It was secretive, to a point where only a few of the general public could understand. It was a language that Ignis tried to get Noctis into learning, to put political decisions into safety, but the prince back then already had responsibilities and he didn't want any more. To Prompto, it had a cool factor that drew him in.

He cracked a large grin and thanked Prompto, quickly kissing his studious boyfriend on the lips while a few of the girls that were watching them blushed at the sudden action. Noctis quickly hid and buried his face against his book, blushing furiously as Prompto wandered around the library in search of something that would teach him the art of Binary.

* * *

In their early days as a married couple, back in Noctis' apartment, the two of them had dedicated their Saturdays to movies. Some days, they would watch rom-coms and other days, they would watch dramatic movies that would leave one of them—most of the time, Prompto—in tears.

During those times, Noctis would pet Prompto's head and tell him not to cry. It was just a movie, and just as it was a movie, crying over it wouldn't change anything about what just happened. To that, Prompto would huff and argue, asking Noctis whether or not it was wrong to wish for a different outcome. Noctis would always answer, telling him that there was no point in wanting a different ending because the movie was done and there was nothing changing it. Just as how people were appointed to do certain things; when given the position, there's no changing it. Prompto would then proceed to call him an insensitive prince, to which Noctis would ignore the remark, lean over, and kiss Prompto's movie-induced tears away.

"How about we play video games for the rest of the night, hm?" Noctis suggested with a smile and a peck of his lips. "I'll order pizza."

Prompto stared at him lovingly and laughed. "Okay. Half supreme, half meat-lover?"

Noctis smirked as he took his phone out. "You know it, blondie."

Late into the night, Prompto would wake and find Noctis sleeping peacefully next to him in his boxers. He would caress his husband's sleeping face, press his nose and laugh silently as Noctis would open his pepperoni-smelling mouth to breathe then stir up with furrowed eyebrows before waving Prompto's hands away from his nose. Prompto loved Saturday nights because he gets to spend the whole Sunday with him. Their schedule always had time for each other. But that was back then.

Noctis would wake up the next day with texts from Prompto while he went out for his run.

"01001000 01100101 01111001 00100000 01110011 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110000 01111001 01101000 01100101 01100001 01100100 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101101 01101001 01110011 01110011 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101011 01101110 01101111 01110111 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100111 01110010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01110010 01101001 01100111 01101000 01110100 00100000 01101110 01100101 01111000 01110100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01101101 01100101 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01101110 01110100 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110010 01100101 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100001 01110100 00100000 01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100000 01110100 01110010 01101001 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01110100 01100101 01101100 01101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110000 01100101 01110010 01110011 01101111 01101110 00100000 01100010 01110101 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110000 01101100 01101001 01100101 01100100 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01110111 01100101 01101001 01110010 01100100 00100000 01110011 01101100 01100101 01100101 01110000 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101101 01101111 01100001 01101110 01110011 00100000 01100001 01101110 01100100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100010 01110010 01100101 01100001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101110 01101011 01110011 00101100 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01101010 01110101 01110011 01110100 00100000 01100111 01101111 01101110 01101110 01100001 00100000 01110100 01100101 01101100 01101100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01101000 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01100010 01100101 01100011 01100001 01110101 01110011 01100101 00100000 01001001 00100000 01100100 01101111 01101110 00100111 01110100 00100000 01110111 01100001 01101110 01110100 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110100 01101111 00100000 01100110 01101111 01110010 01100111 01100101 01110100 00101110" Followed three sets of photos taken by Prompto.

The first one was with Prompto kissing his forehead.

The second one had Prompto's face scrunched up and nosed pinched, next to his half-open mouth.

The very last one was his favorite. He was asleep, with his arms wrapped around Prompto's waist and curled up with his head against Prompto's bare chest, comfortable and filled with warmth.

Noctis knew that Prompto's messages written in Binary were always meaningful and sweet. It was one of the things that got him going all giddy like a five-year-old boy that got a kiss from his crush. He would get up quickly, open an app that he had just to decipher all the messages that Prompto had for him.

He'd let out a hearty laugh, cursing his favorite person for taking advantage of him that way even though he wasn't mad at all. The ounce of negativity were beyond zero. They were filled with happiness. Prompto was happy. Noctis was happy.

 _Hey sleepyhead. I miss you. I know you're sleeping right next to me but I just wanted to remind you that I love you. I tried to tell you in person but you replied with weird sleeping moans and your breath stinks, so I'm just gonna tell you here because I don't want you to forget._

"I'm home!" Noctis would hear Prompto's footsteps coming closer while rinsed his mouth.

Prompto would always be welcomed home with warm hugs. "Welcome home, Prompto," Noctis would greet his lover with a kiss. "Iced coffee?"

Nodding, Prompto would follow him out of the room to help him make breakfast. As he made their coffee, Prompto made their meal. Prompto always made sure that Noctis would eat some vegetables, if not all. It was a request Ignis asked of him before Prompto became the cook. So he made sure Noctis gets enough. He'd put carrots and apples with bunny ears so Noctis would eat it. "No beans."

"No beans! Yesss..." Noctis breathed happily and kissed his husband. "I love you."

"You only love me because I eat _your_ beans."

"…Shut up."

* * *

Once Prompto finalized his album and had it published, he finally felt free. At that moment, he felt that he could finally visit Noctis and see him, but with the success that came with its publication, a full schedule followed. The one night Prompto went to see Noctis, it was spent with general talk. Prompto still cooked him dinner, he still said "I love you" and Noctis did the same, but he noticed it didn't have the same warmth and feeling from the words that came out of his mouth way back then.

When they made love that night, there was certainly a need, but after a while, it felt forced. Both of them felt it. After strained pants and feeling cold against the sheets, they felt the rift between them. There was a fear and certain emptiness between them that they wanted to fill up by making love like they used to, but there was no helping it. It was different. Everything was different. Noctis was tired. Prompto was tired. But they still put up the effort to feel something despite craving sleep and rest over a lustful night next to each other.

* * *

King's Knight was something that they used to enjoy on Friday nights. When Noctis would come home around seven, Prompto would already have dinner prepared and they would charge their phones so they could play later. After eating, brushing their teeth and supposedly getting ready for bed, and a little bit of heated play, they would take out their phone and begin. There were times when they played Justice Monsters Five or battled each other in King's Knight. Every time Noctis would win, Prompto had to take something off. He played tactfully and would have Prompto naked within the first thirty minutes of the game. Which he, of course, planned from the very beginning.

The game nights would never last long. Their screams of victory would always be replaced by the creaking of Noctis' big bed and that would always last longer than their games. Whenever they were finished, Noctis would whisper triumphantly, "I win." But Prompto would smirk, pulling him closer and shake his head.

"Nope. I won," he'd say, kissing Noctis deeply and Noctis happily returned it. "You're mine. Till the end of time."

Noctis would hum in agreement. "And you're mine. Forever."

Prompto would nod and fall asleep with Noctis' strong arms wrapped around him. "Yeah. Forever."

* * *

"I have a signing event this weekend, Noct." Prompto said, smiling into the webcam.

Noctis replied with a tired smile. "That's great, Prom. Your photos are amazing."

Prompto chuckled. "Thanks, it's pretty high up on the charts for new photographers. I'm really stoked about it."

"Congratulations."

"Thanks!" He said again. There was a silence that followed them for a second. "So… For the signing… Will you come? Please?"

Noctis hesitated, opening his mouth. He most likely wouldn't be able to go as he's getting prepared to go to Tenebrae. He knew that much, but he said, "Sure."

Beyond Noctis' expectations, Prompto's eyes lit up. "Buy a poster, Noct! I'll sign it for you!" He cheered then glanced down at the time. "Ah… I have to go now," Prompto said, yawning.

Noctis bit the urge to yawn also. "Alright, bye."

"Bye," Prompto waved and nodded. "Oh, wait, are you coming home this weekend?"

"Prom, I—"

Hiding behind a smile, Prompto waved him off again with a chuckle. "It's okay! I already knew the answer, so you don't need to explain yourself. I just thought I'd ask. But I understand… You should come back some time, though. I planted some nice flowers out in the yard. Iris said these Lunar Tears are beautiful. It said it has the ability to cure any illness." Seeing Noctis' face, Prompto knew that his lover didn't know how to respond to that. Feeling like he was making his husband feel bad, Prompto picked up his mood even if it pushed a strain on his face. "I'll take photos for you, okay?"

"Mmm… Okay."

"Goodnight, Noctis. I love you."

Noctis took a moment. "Goodnight, Prom."

Prompto waited for the "I love you" part that would usually follow, but after two seconds, he received nothing so he nodded and signed out. He reasoned that maybe Noctis was just too tired to remember, there were a lot of papers on his desk; that… maybe he was just too tired to remember those three simple words.

* * *

After learning the language of Binary, Prompto had a habit of carving on trees and take pictures of them for keepsakes. Back when Noctis had the weekends off, they would leave their apartment and go out to the park. That was where Prompto would use the pocketknife his mom gave him once, to carve their initials into the wood.

Noctis would always keep on the lookout, worried that some sort of authority figure or citizen would recognize him, report to his father and arrest his outrageous husband for damaging a tree, even if he was doing it for love.

* * *

At the event, a crowd of people showed up, but no matter how much Prompto scanned and craned his head, he couldn't spot his prince charming anywhere. He figured, perhaps because he was a King now, a lot of people would recognize him and cause a commotion; or maybe he was running a bit late. So Prompto went on with his day, signing happily for his fans and curious onlookers who were fascinated with his photography and getting it signed by him. He had hoped and held Noctis' promise to heart, but as the crowd died down, Noctis was still nowhere to be found. Prompto's heart felt a little empty.

He knew he shouldn't have taken it to heart. Noctis was busy, he knew that. But he also knew that Noctis wouldn't make promises that he knew he couldn't keep, yet he still told him that he'd be there.

Minutes have passed and Prompto's publicist told him it was time to go. Prompto wanted to wait a little longer but he didn't want to make his disappointment even bigger. Just as he was about to leave, a familiar voice came up from behind him.

"Can this old man have your autograph, Prompto?" An old, wise voice called out to him.

Prompto turned and gasped. "Your Majesty!" Regis raised his hand and motioned Prompto to sit down. Prompto stiffened, at the guards behind the former King but sat down as he bit his lip and forced a smile. He took out his marker and prepared himself mentally at the photograph that Regis handed to him to sign.

"I told you to call me dad," Regis said softly with a kind smile. "How are you, Prompto?"

Prompto was shaking and his hand refused to press the tip of the marker against the glossy picture. He knew then that Regis wasn't there for his event, he was there to check up on him. To know how he and Noctis were doing. Hot tears were forming on the edge of his eyes and they widened at how they began to sting. Regis must've caught on because he held unto Prompto's shaking, writing hand with one hand and another to wipe the tears before they fell, before others saw.

"I-I'm okay, dad…" Prompto lied with a smile. "I was just… I was… Uh, I didn't expect a lot of people today, that's all."

The old man in front of him was silent for a while, then he asked, "You didn't expect Noctis not to come, did you?" Regis expression softened. When he saw Prompto flinch at the question, he knew then. He didn't need an answer. He looked up to Prompto's publicist and asked, "Is Mr. Argentum available this afternoon?"

His publicist, aware of the former King of Lucis glanced at Prompto and smiled. "I can cancel his appointments this afternoon, your excellency."

"Thank you." Regis motioned for Prompto to follow him. "Let's talk at the Citadel, hm?"

"I-Isn't Noct there?"

The old man was silent once again but he motioned for Prompto to get up and follow him. As the two walked side by side. Prompto supported him, and Regis held on to Prompto's hand, the hand that held the photo of their younger selves, full of life and happiness. He shook his head, "Noctis left early this morning to head to Niflheim."

Prompto seemed to have been uninformed of this. Because all he could say was, "Oh."

"Please understand my son, Prompto. He's doing this for the both of us."

"I know that dad." Prompto knew it was always for the same reason, the same reason why everything felt like it was falling apart. "Believe me, I know..."

* * *

The next time they talked on webcam, Prompto didn't try to appear like he was happy, because clearly, he wasn't. But he didn't lash out or get angry because he knew Noctis was busy. He understood what he was doing. He had an excuse not to go to his signing event. Regis talked him out of it. But his signing event wasn't just like any other signing event. It was his first one, and he wanted Noctis to be there, but he wasn't, and that was that.

Noctis was too tired to see what was wrong. He was still in Tenebrae then. He apologized, but Prompto's mood didn't seem to get any better even though he said it was okay. In turn, it irritated Noctis, making him cut their call short and call it a night. He was supposed to talk to Queen Sylvia and have a day out with Lady Lunafreya. He didn't have time for this.

* * *

Chapter end.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : This story isn't beta'd. And I'm in the middle of writing the rest of the story. This is inspired by two stories I read years ago, including the binary idea, which I clearly remember because back in my high school years, I was depressed for weeks reading the story. So I'm writing this vaguely by inspiration and fantasy. Ah, and I just finished watching A Walk to Remember. I'm currently listening to the OST as I write this, and I'm crying. At one point, we just get tired of everything.


	2. Acquiescent

" _There are things I miss, that I shouldn't,  
_ _and things I don't, that I should._

 _Sometimes we want what we couldn't,  
_ _sometimes we love who we could."  
_ _-Lang_ _Leav_

* * *

 **Author's Note** : "Cry" from A Walk To Remember was on repeat as I wrote this part of the story. Feel free to listen to it while you read.

* * *

 **20160; 336**

* * *

With success comes challenges, and with that comes change.

Time was no longer available for both of their leisure. It was no longer available for one to spend with their loved ones or reconnect with friends. Time no longer provided space for intimacy. It only provided the opportunity for productivity in one's line of work.

But citizens were happy. Fans were happy. If everyone else was happy, maybe sacrificing one didn't seem all that bad.

* * *

Like old photographs, memories, and challenges, their relationship began to change. And like old photographs, its faded images that were once glossy, bright, and vibrant, their relationship had grown stagnant and quiet. They became strangers in their own marriage, forgetting moments that they used to have together back when things were much simpler.

The calls became less frequent.

The text messages were brief and short.

Visits were rare.

They had basically stalled.

* * *

Two years further in their hanging marriage, Noctis stood in his bedroom, looking at himself in the mirror. He fixed his perfectly styled hair, the crooked tie on his neck, and adjusted the ring on his finger. He looked at the time and found that he was on schedule. But despite his perfect routine, he couldn't help but sit down at the edge of his big bed, letting out a heavy sigh as he stared at his open wall.

His chest weighed down along with his heart and it took him weeks, or rather _months_ , to self-diagnose his problem. It was uncertainty. His heart wasn't his brain, but he struggled with the horrible thought of not being in love with his husband any longer.

As the days passed, he realized that he couldn't deny it any longer.

He felt alone and Prompto was too far out of reach for him. Noctis knew that he still loved his sunshine haired photographer, who he'd sometimes see in the papers or online, but he knew that the love he felt wasn't the same like it used to. They haven't made love in months. Prompto hasn't been visiting. Date nights were never a thing, because with their schedules and distance, it was far from possible. In fact, the more Noctis thought about it, he saw more of Prompto in their short and infrequent video calls than he did in person. How could he possibly ask his husband to satisfy his lust over the camera?

Turning his head, he looked at his empty bed. He missed it. He missed the attraction, the activities—everything. The distance was one thing, isolation was another. The lack of communication foreshadowed their marriage's demise, but it was the heavy feeling in his heart that brought the gravel down in the shallow waters.

* * *

Sometimes, Prompto thought about moving on but his heart wouldn't let him. He still loved Noctis even though every night he went to _their_ home only to lie in a bed with a cold side unoccupied at the end for many days. He missed the nights when they'd stay up just whispering to each other; the games, the trees, the movies, the running, the coffee, everything.

The only thing that would sometimes get him through the day were the photographs from their wedding day, including the photo that Regis handed to him.

* * *

Noctis' visits to Niflheim and Tenebrae were becoming frequent. He was obligated to attend an annual Winter ball at Tenebrae for appearances sake and had to reject Prompto's offer to come back home for the holidays. Like always, Prompto would smile forcefully and said he understood before hanging up soon after.

The lack of argument and Prompto's peaceful conceding bothered Noctis. He thought that maybe if Prompto had fought for his time a little harder, he would have said yes. But then he remembered that he couldn't have said yes. He was too busy.

With their relationship dry and cold like the winter breeze, Noctis moved on. With a drink in his hand and a smile on his face, he lifted his eyes. It was there at the celebration at Tenebrae that he got closer to Lady Lunafreya.

"Do you still have that journal I gave you when we were children, Noctis?" Lunafreya had asked him that night.

* * *

Noctis remembered during the hardest times in his finals week, Prompto had convinced Ignis to lend him his key to Noctis' apartment so that he could sneak in past midnight when Noctis was completely knocked out. He would place a pack of Noctis' favorite candy bars next to his annotated textbooks before tiptoeing over to Noctis' sleeping figure and gently taping a note on his forehead. With a victorious smile on his face, Prompto quietly snickered before backtracking and leaving his apartment quietly.

When Noctis woke up the next morning, the first thing he noticed was the tape and paper stuck on his forehead that kept him from rubbing his eyes. He took it off and squinted his half-opened eyes to take a closer look at what was written on it. As his vision cleared, he noticed that what was written weren't letters, but zeroes and ones.

It was Prompto.

"01000111 01101111 01101111 01100100 00100000 01101100 01110101 01100011 01101011 00100000 01101111 01101110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 01110010 00100000 01100101 01111000 01100001 01101101 01110011 00101100 00100000 01100011 01101000 01100001 01110010 01101101 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100001"

Noctis' eyes dragged down to the bottom part of the message.

"01001001 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00100000 01110011 01101111 00100000 01101101 01110101 01100011 01101000 00100001"

Despite having just woken up and stressed he was the other night, Noctis got up on his feet and took the time to decode. As he walked to his class that morning, he quickly copied the numbers onto his cellphone to use a translator and read what Prompto wrote for him.

 _Good luck on your exams, charming!_

His professor called his name out for attendance.

 _I love you so much!_

"Here!" Noctis raised his hand with a small smile. The students gasped at his sudden radiance. It was going to be a good day.

* * *

Christmas had passed and all that was shared between them was a card and a small box on Prompto's part.

A simple gift was also sent to him; a couple of gift cards and a simple letter.

Prompto didn't know what to send, so he sent a pack of Noctis' favorite candy bars, just like he used to.

* * *

It was supposed to feel wrong, maybe at first it did, but as time went by, his relationship with Lunafreya changed and their attraction grew. What went from innocent glances and conversations eventually transformed into something more physical. Nobody in Niflheim knew he was married except Lunafreya and a few others, because behind the camera he wore his ring. His marriage with Prompto was private and away from public's view. But there was also no hiding their separation.

When Lunafreya took the first step and slanted her soft lips over to Noctis', everything changed.

And when Noctis brought Lunafreya to the Crown City, he took her to his apartment to stay. He laid her down on his bed and blocked away the voice inside his head that told him that Lunafreya didn't belong there. The voice that kept telling him that it was Prompto's bed as well as his, but never Lunafreya's. But he blocked it once more, ignored and rationalized that Prompto was no longer there, that they've fallen apart, and that he needed something. Something that Lunafreya could give him and Prompto could no longer.

Lunafreya was different. She was soft and sensitive, Noctis liked it. And everyone had always thought they were perfect for each other. Supremes from across the world would travel the other side just to get to her. Even though she didn't make his heart beat the way Prompto had, she gave him the satisfaction and he felt good. Her mouth had wonders and skills, something he hasn't felt in a long time, and he let her have her way with him even if he knew he shouldn't have. She could give him a family, one that Prompto could and will never be able to. She could give him a new place to call home.

Just before he lowed himself on Lunafreya's body, he took her hand and she took his, slipping his wedding ring off and tossed it to the side where it silently fell and rolled across his bedroom floor.

* * *

It was late in September that Prompto suffered excruciating pain. He noticed it when the headaches he would have occasionally became more frequent and they wouldn't go away.

Sometimes it hurt so much he would cry from it. He also noticed he felt fatigued very easily. After weeks of trying to cope with the pain with over-the-counter pills, he caved in. Something was wrong. At first, he thought it was work related, that it was stress perhaps, maybe it was from worrying too much over his marriage. But maybe it would go away with stronger medication from the doctor.

So, Prompto traveled back to the city and expected good prognosis only to come out of the clinic feeling like the whole world had completely fallen apart, his heart heavy as hell.

* * *

The doctor told him that he was scheduled to have a CT scan the next day, but for the first time, Prompto didn't want to do it alone. He needed someone to be with, and the first person that came to mind was Noctis, his best friend, his husband and his rock. He stayed in the city after his doctor's appointment and made up his mind to head over to Noctis' apartment, holding back his tears and trying to maintain a strong front as he took the train.

Afterwards, he took a taxi, only to blank out when the driver asked him for an address. Prompto realized that in that moment, he didn't know. He couldn't remember. He tried to remember, but he couldn't recall the address that he had once known like the back of his hand.

Completely flustered and upset because he couldn't explain his sudden and temporary memory loss, Prompto apologized and jumped out of the car. He decided to run to Noctis' place instead, because unlike an address, he remembered with his faded memory, the streets and corners where his walked with Noctis in the past.

Prompto had high hopes that maybe they'd reconcile and take a couple of days to make up for the year of time that was lost. He hoped and imagined, like the stories he wrote back home, but as his eyes focused on Noctis coming out of the entrance of his apartment building with a woman and their hands intertwined, smiling happily, Prompto stopped walking and watched as all those hopes fell apart.

And like the magnifying pain that he had felt in those past weeks, Prompto's strong front crumbled and his eyes watered slowly before trickling down until he couldn't bear any of it anymore. With shaking knees and water-filled eyes, he took a step back and ran the other direction. Alone.

* * *

Cindy Aurum was about to close her garage for the night when she saw a familiar blonde in tears running towards her shop. Panicking because it was the middle of the night, she removed her grease-covered gloves immediately and took him in with open arms as she tried to carry his full weight only to have them both drop to the ground. Prompto cried uncontrollably and as Cindy searched for happiness in her heart to cheer him up, she couldn't.

Her heart pounded in heartbreak as she cradled the man in her arms, her chest drenched in tears that didn't belong to her. At one point, she couldn't tell anymore because she was crying with him. She whispered what seemed like thousands of "sorry"s to her friend, but she knew it wouldn't change a thing.

"I'm gonna stay with you, my bundle of sunshine." Cindy cooed him, hushing his cries. "Don't you worry, we're gonna go through this together."

Hammerhead's garage was closed for days and Cindy went up to Cape Caem with Prompto. She convinced Nyx to return to the Citadel with no complaint. Noctis didn't ask for a reason and Prompto expected that much since days without Nyx turned to weeks and weeks turned to months, and Noctis hasn't contacted him to ask why.

"Hey, paw-paw," Cindy smiled sadly on the phone once Prompto fell asleep on her couch. "Listen… I might close the garage temporarily…"

"Naw, you don't have to do that. I got you covered."

Tourists, citizens, and hunters who stopped over at Hammerhead to have a gorgeous woman fix their vehicles wondered where she had gone. Cid had taken over her shop and reassured his granddaughter that he was still strong. Cindy's reputation made their garage business successful and Cid reminded her that her passion will always be ready for her when she returns.

As for now, she set her priorities on helping Prompto out. Not just with his condition, but with his career as well. She would take him places that he couldn't go on his own, drive a boat towards the middle of the sea and spontaneously deciding to take him to Altissia.

Slowly growing out of the state Prompto was in after hearing the assessment of his health condition, Prompto had a new smile on his face. His laughter had become genuine and he used his camera frequently once again. Life was coming back to him she thought, and Cindy thanked the Astrals above.

* * *

It was all Prompto wanted for the longest time—to open his eyes and see Noctis next to him. To stretch out his hand and touch the yielding warmth of his skin. But now he had learned the secret of distance. Now he knew that being close to him was never about the proximity.

And time was ticking for him.

It was the longest he had gone without intimate, human contact. He began to crave it after a while and nearly obsessed over the most trivial things that he once received. Like arms wrapped around his waist, kisses on his neck, or kind words. How long, Prompto wondered, will it take until his sickness reached its peak and make him lose all his recollection of love?

He traveled places with Cindy and without being aware of it, he stopped wondering. Even if his head had started to forget, his heart knew that his love for Noctis will never change. He didn't want to admit it. But things had changed. And time was itching to get him going.

Massaging the finger that once wore a golden band, Prompto had decided he needed to change.

* * *

Ten months into the year, heading to the middle of Winter, Lunafreya had once again returned to Insomnia. She sat on Noctis' bed, waiting for him to come out of the shower. In her hand was Noctis' wedding band, which Lunafreya kept playing with, inspecting every aspect and every detail. It was gorgeous and simple, a ring in which she mused she'd wear better if Noctis had chosen her. The thought kept Lunafreya entertained until Noctis came back to the room fully clothed, drying off with a towel wrapped around his neck.

"What are you doing here, Luna?" Noctis asked with a small smile.

"Hello to you too, dear Noctis." Lunafreya gently smiled, her accent sounding beautifully. "I was just thinking—actually I've been thinking about this for a while, really."

Noctis zipped up his pants then grabbed a casual jacket before looking at Lunafreya. "What's on your mind?" When he saw the ring in Lunafreya's finger, Noctis sighed. "Luna."

"Noctis, why are you still with him?" Lunafreya asked quietly. "Why don't you just divorce him?"

Noctis bit his lip. "Luna, he's—"

"You've alienated each other— _no_ —you've been estranged for so long," Lunafreya explained. "Your relationship with him was already beyond dead and repair when I met you. Why are you still trying to hold on to something when neither of you feel anything for each other anymore?"

"You can't assume he doesn't feel anything for me anymore," Noctis argued. "And I can't just slap divorce papers on him so suddenly. He needs some notice, at least. It's unprofessional, even for me as a King."

"Then give him a notice," Lunafreya suggested, playing with the ring on her finger. "In fact, have one of your lawyers deliver those papers to him. Would you rather, Ignis? That's notice and comfort enough, don't you think?"

"Luna, I need to be careful with those kinds of things before the public—"

"…Noctis." Lunafreya gave him a look and cupped his cheeks. "It's better to end things now, so _we_ can really have a fresh beginning. My mother cannot wait for us to be together. If you leave him, you and I can get married and the both of you can move on. Let's face it, he probably has someone else too. It's been too long."

Noctis' stomach tightened at the thought of Prompto having another man. It was hard to imagine and ultimately struck a chord in his heart. Lunafreya was trying to jump on a dangerous part of him and leaving Prompto had always been a thought he could never possibly do. "Luna…"

"I love you, Noctis. I know you love me too." Lunafreya rasped as she stood up and wrapped her arms around his neck gently. "So just do it, please. I don't have time to stick around here with you. If you leave him and we get married, we can be together wherever and whenever we want. I can travel all over the world with you, beside you. Do it for us. For him. For all of us."

* * *

Prompto finally told Cindy his relationship with Noctis, and when she asked him if he was aware of the faults he had. He said yeah, he was aware. Painfully aware. That instead of fighting his way back into Noctis' heart, he pushed himself away because he didn't want to cause the man trouble. He was the King and there was no room for stupid things like his feelings. Well, those stupid "feelings" weren't just anybody's feelings. Those feelings were his feelings. Even if Cindy tried to persuade him into meeting up with Noctis and telling him his condition, Prompto would constantly deny every chance she had to bring it up.

"If he's happy, that's enough for me." Prompto would quickly change the subject as he pointed out one night during dinner. "Can I have some wine?"

"No, Prompto." Cindy slapped his hand as he tried to reach her glass of wine. "The doctor specifically told me not to give you things like that. Stick to your water, sweetheart."

The two of them had a nice conversation. They were wonderful friends. Prompto had deeply regretted that they stopped talking the moment he got married to Noctis, but Cindy didn't think it was a problem. She was too focused on her passion to have gotten hurt over things like that. Besides, she had always thought that Prompto was dear to her. That if Prompto needed someone to talk to, he would come back to her.

"And you came back to me," She said softly, taking his hand. "Even if you feel like you ain't a good friend, you came back. You came to see me and I ain't ever been happier to know that you want me in your life."

"You're the only one I have left in my life," Prompto muttered quietly. He hasn't talked to his parents for years. "So thank you, Cinds."

"Don't say that, sweetcakes. Lotsa people care 'bout you, you just refuse to see it." Patting his hand, Cindy stood up from her chair and picked up her empty plate. "How 'bout some fruits for dessert?"

Prompto smiled weakly. "That sounds great."

While Prompto slowly finished his dinner, he listened to Cindy humming. The clanks and the sound of plates clicking and the water running was great comfort to him. It had been too long since he heard and felt the presence of someone else in this "home". If his head hadn't been hurting the moment he thought of Noctis, he would have heard the doorbell ringing. The water stopped running and Cindy called out for the guest to wait a moment, then came dashing into the dining room. Prompto rubbed his temples and looked up to his friend.

"King Regis is here," Cindy said, helping him up. "Said he wanted to talk to you."

"Oh. Well… Good thing I just finished dinner." Prompto got up with a chuckle. "Alright."

Regis patiently waited for Prompto get to the living room but he didn't expect what he saw. Cindy was right behind him, cautious over every step he took. From the distant hallway, Prompto looked extremely tired and weak, but when he looked up towards the past King his smile returned. Regis' eyes widened, speechless even, at how dangerously thin Prompto had become.

"Good evening," Prompto greeted when he reached the couch in front of him, and said, "Dad."

"Prompto…" Regis breathed. "What on Eos happened to you?"

Promptos throat tightened. He had a hard time thinking of what kinds of words he would tell his father-in-law. Regis was aware of it already, their drift, their estranged marriage, the distance. The fact that Noctis never came home anymore had been of great concern to him, as the Citadel was a place for Noctis to return to, and yet he chose to stay in his apartment. Rumors spread wild about his son and Lady Lunafreya. Prompto already knew though. Cindy knew it too. He just chose not to do anything about it.

Cindy put a hand on Prompto's shoulder for support and Prompto looked up with a sad smile as he nodded and turned to the former Lucian King with determination.

"I don't have much time left."

* * *

On Monday nights when Prompto's parents left for business trips, Noctis would sneak inside Prompto's house and climb into bed with him. Prompto would stir and his favorite chocobo plushie tightly secured against his chest would drop on the wooden floor. Noctis would slowly wrap his arms around his sleeping beauty, and Prompto would wake up the next morning with breakfast in bed. A plate filled with love and iced coffee, and a young, infatuated prince handing the tray to him wearing fish-patterned pajamas.

* * *

Mrs. Argentum's eyes widened at the phone call she'd received. Mr. Argentum looked at her with concern then stood up to pick his wife up when she dropped to the ground, shaking uncontrollably. Their food on the dining table had grown cold, and both had lost the appetite to eat after finding out that the only child they once raised, has his life slipping away not only from his own fingertips, but also theirs.

"There has to be a cure, son." Mrs. Argentum argued with tears streaming down her face. "Please. If you must keep going for treatment, do it and I'll pay for everything. Your dad and I will pay for everything."

But the calm voice in their son's voice was what scared them most. Their son said there was no treatment for it. Just palliative care. And he hoped to reach out to them and close the distance he had given because he had realized that there was no forever for him. In fact, time was running out. The most painful thing for a parent, was to know their child was suffering and there was nothing they could do about it.

"Sometimes, I feel like I want end my life." Prompto had told them over the phone. "The pain just gets to me, and it would hurt so bad. But I have relationships to fix, you know?"

* * *

The Argentum's schedule completely changed then. Their weekday trips turned to four-day trips and during their time back in Crown City, they would finish their work quickly to pay their son a visit. The first time they went to Cape Caem, they gave him a new camera; they knew how much their son loved taking pictures. It had always been that way. Even though they were very busy people, they paid attention to their son. His success and his passion. They knew it all. That's why when he got married and left, they didn't stop him from leaving. He was happy. And that's all they ever wanted for their son, as his parents.

It was a LOXTON LX-X1R camera. A camera that Prompto had been saving his money to get.

"Wow! Thanks guys," Prompto beamed, trying to sound strong but the fatigue on his face couldn't hide it. "I'll treasure it always."

"Prompto, won't you come home to us?" Mrs. Argentum tried to urge him. "Cindy stopped her career to take care of you and it's shameful that she's doing what we're supposed to be doing. We want to make it up to you."

"It's alright, Mrs. Argentum." Cindy handed them drinks. "It was my choice."

"Mom, I can take care of myself." Prompto assured her by rubbing her palms soothingly. "Cindy's just here to help me out when I need it. You and dad are free to come over whenever you guys have time. But you don't have to make anything up to me, I love you both. My love for you guys haven't changed."

Mr. Argentum walked back into the house and crossed his arms. As he looked at his tearfully-stricken wife and ill-driven son, he looked around and tried to put everything together. There was only Cindy and Prompto. Nobody else. Someone was missing. He glanced at the framed photo on top of the drawer.

"Where's Noctis?"

It was a question that Prompto knew he couldn't avoid. It hurt to hear the question, it hurt to hear the name, but there was no hiding the truth to them. He opened his mouth and his lips quivered, he felt like he was going to cry again. It seemed like that's all he's been doing. Crying.

"Um, he's gone." Prompto laughed it off weakly, then continued softly. Even if it was meant to be taken lightly, each word caused his parents' heart to crumble. "But that's okay, because I kinda will be gone too."

* * *

The Lunar Tear had blossomed.

If Prompto was his old hopeful self, he would have done the most cliché thing and wished to be cured.

But Prompto had accepted the cold, hard truth. And now he's just trying to appreciate the things and people around him.

* * *

One night, Prompto tossed and turned on the bed. Sweating profusely and screamed in pain. Mr. and Mrs. Argentum ran up to Prompto's room to check on him and Cindy came running up to him with a tray of medicines and a glass of water before she placed it on top of the counter and helped him up.

"It's okay baby, I got you." She handed him a set of pills then the water. "We got you."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I have no idea why I'm hurting my precious Prompto, but I'm doing it. I'm hurting myself in the process too. Lunar Tear is a reference from a game called NieR. Just as Lunafreya shared a sylleblossom with Noctis, a friend wanted me to add a Lunar Tear. And with that, I bid you readers temporary adieu. I'll update again sometime this week.


	3. Requisition

" _Life: a question,  
death: its reply—  
a tender good-bye._

 _Stay 'till our present  
slips into the past—  
it is all that I ask._" –Lang Leav

* * *

 **20160 – 336**

* * *

Regis came into Noctis' office one night.

"Noctis, what's gotten into you?"

"Dad, whatever it is, I don't want to talk about it. I don't have time."

"You don't _want_ to talk about it?" His father's tone was high. "What time? Are you perhaps waiting for the time of someone's death to come before you finally say something?"

Regis was referring to Prompto, but Noctis didn't know that. It was Prompto's request to keep their conversations to each other, never shared with Noctis. His son thought he was talking about his death and Noctis stopped writing, nearly slammed the pen down from his hand, then looked up. "Why are you talking like that, dad? I'm doing this for you. I'm doing this so you can grow old like every other citizen's dad can. Go out and relax, get Cor. I don't know. I just don't have time for this kind of conversation right now."

He slammed the divorce papers in front of Noctis' desk. "You think I'm not going to find out about this? Noctis, I am your father. Not your boss. I want to know what's going on in your life."

Noctis didn't say anything. Then, there it was, the words that disappointed Regis.

"Look, dad. Things happen. I just don't love him the same. Do you remember Luna from Tenebrae? When I got into an accident when I was a kid, she took care of me. She told me everything. She can give me a family; you can be a grandfather. There can be another heir—"

"Perhaps it's the exhaustion talking for you," Regis took a step back, tightening his grip on his cane. "But I'm not going to make decisions for that either. If you love Lunafreya, then proceed. Just don't leave Prompto hanging."

"I'm not leaving him hanging." Noctis gritted his teeth. "He's probably with someone else by now."

"No…" Regis started to walk out of the office. "That's what you'd like to believe."

* * *

 _0:00:01_

Noctis stood outside the house that he once shared with Prompto for a short period of time. He remembered the promises that he had held and the ones he had forgotten, the hopes and dreams that they had together, but at that moment, he brushed it off because past things like that meant nothing to him now. They were things he hadn't thought of in the countless months he'd busied himself with work and Lunafreya.

After gathering up his courage, he lifted up his hand and knocked on the door confidently. He had expected the door to open and to be greeted by Prompto, but it took longer than he had thought and the person who had opened the door wasn't his soon-to-be ex-husband, but Cindy. Prompto's friend. Cid's granddaughter.

"Uh, hello."

The voluptuous woman dressed in a red tank top over a yellow cardigan and light blue shorts had opened the door and smiled up at him. "Hey, there." After a small pause, she blinked after looking at him for a couple of seconds. "I'm guessing you're Noctis."

Nodding in confirmation, Noctis said, "Yes."

"Ain't you one fine looking man… It's no wonder…" She muttered to herself then shook it off, stepping aside and said, "Well, come on in."

When Noctis stepped inside, she closed the door behind him. "I'm Cindy, by the way."

"Yeah, I remember you. You're Cid's granddaughter." Noctis said, holding out his hand. "Nice to finally meet you."

"Aw, thanks sweetpea!" Cindy replied with a short laugh and shook his hand. "Prompto should be down any minute." Then with a softer, but sadder look, she said. "He's been expecting you."

It hurt Noctis a bit to hear the words, but he was here for a reason. He had filed for divorce and he was sure that Prompto received the notice a week prior. Of course Prompto was expecting him. If anything, standing at the balcony made him slightly nervous as to how Prompto was going to react. He imagined Prompto yelling and screaming at him, shedding his tears with eyes that sought for blood, begging to give their marriage a chance.

But this image didn't hold up. When he looked up at the staircase where Prompto was making his way down, Noctis caught the smile that once used to make his heart stop—and it still did.

Noctis stood at the entrance of the house, heart-stricken and heart beat skipped by Prompto. Snapping himself out of it, Noctis approached him slowly, rubbing the back of his neck. "Hey."

Walking towards his husband, Prompto opened his arms. Without even waiting for Noctis to make the first move, Prompto gave him a hug, before pulling back at an appropriate time. "Hi, charming."

Noctis' face paled. He didn't want to be called "charming" anymore. It brought back things that would pull him off course from his purpose. "…Don't call me that anymore, Prom."

With his mouth slightly agape, Prompto nodded understandingly. "My bad," he said with a chuckle. "I forgot that we're divorcing. Of course." Patting Noctis on the arm, Prompto turned on his heel and crooked his finger. "Let's move to the living room, yeah? Cinds, can you go make Noctis some coffee? I'll uh, have water."

"Um, I haven't… been drinking coffee." Noctis thinned his lips. "I'll take tea though."

Cindy nodded. "You want lemon, sweetcakes?" she asked Prompto.

"No. Just plain, please."

"Got it," Cindy said with a snap of her fingers and made her way to the kitchen.

Noctis watched as she left, wondering about Prompto's relationship with her. In his mind, Lunafreya's words echoed. Maybe Prompto found someone just like how he found Luna. They both found people who were convenient to be with. Convenient.

Once seated, Noctis studied Prompto's face. "You look a little tired, Prom. You been sleeping alright?"

It took a moment, but Prompto nodded with a grin. "Uhuh. I've just been working a little hard lately. That's all."

"Okay…" Noctis took a deep breath for a second before opening his suitcase. "As you know, I came with papers for you to sign."

"Mhm."

"It won't take long."

"I know."

"I'm trying to make this as painless as possible for you, Prompto."

Prompto laughed quietly. "It'll never be painless, Noct."

Noctis looked in Prompto's blue eyes. "I'm sorry…"

"But you're really not, aren't you?" Prompto's grin evolved into a sad smile. "It's fine. I'll be okay."

Unable to handle the heavy atmosphere, Noctis moved on by clearing his throat. He took the papers out and slid them across the coffee table over to Prompto, who sat across from him. As Noctis noticed earlier, Prompto moved a little slow, but he figured he was just afraid to face the reality that the papers would bring.

As Prompto lifted the papers and scanned over them, Noctis spoke. "You're, uh, basically acknowledging that we both want this and that you're willing to go to the court dates and meetings where we'll discuss how to split everything. But, Prom, this house… this house will stay with you. I promise you that."

"You promise me?"

"Yes."

"You promised me a lot of things at the altar too," Prompto told him softly, almost a whisper to himself. "But here we are." Not wanting his husband to dwell on the guilt, Prompto waved the subject off by a chuckle. "So where do I sign?"

"At the bottom of the page," Noctis pointed. He reached into his pocket. "Need a pen?"

"Yes, please."

As their fingers brushed against each other when Noctis handed the pen over, he felt Prompto's body temperature. "…Are you cold?"

"Nope. I'm fine."

"But your hands aren't usually cold. They're warm."

"Oh, I'm glad you remember."

A minute passed and Noctis watched as Prompto held the pen but never moved it. It was just like the time when Regis asked him to sign the photograph of his wedding with Noctis. Noctis' voice came up, "Prom—"

"Hey, Noctis," Prompto said brightly, looking at him with a smile that made Noctis feel like he was back in their college days. "Can I ask you for something? Just one request… before I sign these papers."

Knowing what he was putting Prompto through, Noctis nodded. "Anything."

Prompto held Noctis' gaze softly before asking, "Please stay with me for fourteen days."

"Prompto, you're asking for two weeks."

"Noctis, please."

"I can't."

"Why not, Noct?"

"Because of Lunafr- Luna."

Prompto held his breath. He knew about Lunafreya. He knew about the woman who would answer his calls for Noctis. Still, Prompto couldn't help but feel the pang of pain in his chest. "It's just two weeks…"

"It's two weeks too long." Noctis said plainly. "I have things to do."

"We've been married for almost seven years, Noct…" Prompto said with a sad smile. "Two weeks is all I'm asking for, charming."

Noctis clicked his tongue. "What do you expect to happen over fourteen days?"

The silence grew but there was a certain type of calm in the air. Prompto had looked away, but when he answered the question, he looked solemn and honest. The tired look in his eyes made him look innocently beautiful and calm, something that Noctis couldn't help but notice, the way Prompto once looked like during their younger days.

"I'm not expecting anything to happen…" Prompto said, lacing his fingers and tracing the ghost-ring on his ring finger. "For fourteen days, I just want you to pretend, Noct." He spoke with a voice that nearly broke. "I want you to love me the way you used to."

Noctis stiffened. "Prom—"

With a sad smile on his face, Prompto put up a weak hand. "Hold up, I said 'pretend'. Remember that, charming." He laughed lightly then stopped. "You don't have to be in love with me. I already know that your heart belongs to someone else. I just want you to pretend. I won't ask more from you. This will be… Consider this as the last promise you'll ever have to hold for me."

* * *

 _1391; 2311_

It felt odd being in the house again. But what's even more odd, was sleeping in a different room other than the one he once shared with Prompto—or at least used to. As he laid down on his bed that first night, he thought about his situation. He felt like the Gods had decided to make him suffer right then and there. If Ifrit had decided to burn him at that very moment, he would have deserved it for doing what he was doing. It didn't sit well with him to know that after many months of barely any contact, he finally decided to contact Prompto only to break the news of wanting a divorce. But in the end, in his mind, what's happened was inevitable. They weren't functioning together anymore. Noctis moved one way. Prompto moved the other. Further apart.

He turned his head to the right and looked out the window. And as he took notice of the bright stars up in the sky, Noctis wondered what else living in the city had prevented him from ever seeing.


	4. The Shoelace

" _The sad thing is," she said, "the moment you start to miss someone, it means they're already gone." –L.L._

* * *

 **20160 – 336**

* * *

Being a young prince gave Noctis more freedom. With more freedom, there was more time. He'd remember how he rebelled, trying to avoid his duties and the issues of becoming the next king. Everything was difficult when all he ever wanted was to be normal. Normalcy meant having friends. Someone who'd accept him for who he was and not the crown that was waiting for him at the throne. Ignis and Gladiolus were different because they were also his royal retainers. Despite their friendship, their royal duties served first.

Noctis kept a lot of things bottled up and struggled trying to figure out who he could be, but as he grew up he realized that there was only one position for him, and he could never run away from it. He feared having to cater to the demands of his people, as his dad often left and made him feel alone. But things like that can't change. Sacrifices had to be made. And Noctis had no choice but to understand and move on.

But then, Prompto came along.

Prompto, the man that used to be his sunshine.

Unbelievably bright, crazy, and full of warmth. The kind of light that he thought would never exist.

Prompto came and changed the feelings he suppressed. Noctis never thought it was possible, but Prompto flipped his world downside up like it was nothing. He became more confident with Prompto's encouragement and eventually, he found his resolve. He took his studies seriously and became less withdrawn, taking his royal responsibilities without objections.

But from one stage of their relationship to the next, the path that started off so innocent and fun has taken them into facing reality.

And like most, they started off as strangers.

* * *

The two of them met thanks to a shoelace.

Almost graduating from senior year, Prompto had made up his mind about losing weight. Every early morning, Prompto would run around the park next to the apartment structures. Earphones were on blast and adrenaline rushed through their veins. While Prompto ran down the trail, Noctis did the same, cursing Gladio while he ran. _Let's build up from your scrawny body._ Gladio told him the day before.

Prompto ran in front of him, unaware of Noctis' presence.

He was crazy fast, Noctis thought as he caught up to the runner and grabbed him gently by the shoulder. "U-Uh, excuse me!" Noctis ran next to him and pointed at his shoes. "Your shoelace is untied."

Sweat dripping from the side of his face, Prompto turned and removed one of the buds from his ears. "O-Oh, _oh_! Thanks!"

Noctis jogged a few distance away from him as he tied his shoelace. He slowly turned to reply breathlessly after running around the block twice with two more rounds to go. "No problem, wouldn't want you to— _shit_!" He cursed as he fell forward over an uneven tile.

The runner quickly finished tying his shoelace and got up, rushing towards Noctis to help. He let out a small laugh. "Oh em gee, you okay there buddy?"

But Noctis wanted to save his embarrassment and jumped up, rubbing his dirtied hands on his black shirt. He nodded as the blonde made his way towards him and laughed along.

"Yeah," Noctis gasped. "I'm good."

Noctis couldn't have played it better even if he tried. Those were one of the days Noctis was thankful for Gladio and his dad for not fixing the park trails. They ran together that morning, and Noctis never told him that he was the prince. Noctis also didn't tell him that it was his first time running in five months and that Gladio was punishing him from eating too much junk food. Somehow, they ended up running for almost four miles that day.

"You new around here?"

"Yup! How'd you know?"

"Dunno. Guess you carry yourself differently."

"Oh... Well, my parents and I just moved in about a year ago. How 'bout you?"

"Born and raised here."

"Forreal?"

"Yours truly."

"Niceee. The city's great though! I love it."

"Me too. Now that you're here."

"Hm? What was that?"

"No-Nothing."

He felt pathetic and weak, but it was funny how he worked so hard to do just about anything for Prompto's attention.

When the blonde said his goodbye, Noctis waved back and let his body drop against the green grass, breathing rapidly. He figured his body was going to be sore for days and he was going to be tired the next time he spars with Gladio, but it was worth it.

Noctis blacked out for a few minutes. But when he opened his eyes, a wave of accomplishment ran through him. He must have left a good impression.

Because on his hand was a small white paper with a cellphone number and Prompto's name written on it.

* * *

 _2880_

One of the concerns Noctis addressed were his clothes; he hadn't brought any seeing as how he wasn't planning on sticking around for more than a few hours after getting the divorce papers signed. When he told Prompto of his dilemma, Prompto smiled and told him not to worry about it. As the time came around to retire for another night, he had taken Noctis to a guest room near what was once their bedroom. Prompto left for a moment, but came back a little while later with three shirts in his arms while Cindy, who was following closely behind him, had plenty more t-shirts including pajama pants, shorts, boxers, and jackets.

"I couldn't carry them all," Prompto explained apologetically. "They're too heavy for me."

Noctis looked at the small pile in Prompto's hand compared to what Cindy had carried and watched as they both set it on his bed. "They don't look _that_ heavy…"

"Well they weigh like a ton to me…" Prompto said quietly.

When Prompto left after Cindy, bidding Noctis goodnight, he recited a sequence of numbers before leaving. Unable to understand the binary, Noctis moved on. He had deleted the app he once had on his phone to translate those messages. He didn't want to waste his time to do it.

But the more he stood there alone in his room, another curiosity ate him as his eyes drifted back to the stack. He moved over to the bed, gathered everything they had brought and lifted it up.

It wasn't heavy.

* * *

Despite the circumstances of his situation and the enraged messages he received from Lunafreya the night before, Noctis woke up with a peaceful calm. He couldn't figure out why that was so. Maybe it was because he wasn't in the city, and for once, he had sleep that didn't involve the background noises of sirens and cars, or the surprised knocking of Lunafreya outside his apartment door. Or maybe it was the house itself. Prompto didn't miss a detail in making every room in the house comfortable and warm.

He took a quick shower and slipped into the clothes that Noctis had given him. It wasn't until he looked in the mirror that he saw his appearance and realized something: Prompto had given him the clothes he had left behind. It was his dark gray shirt with skull prints and black cropped trousers. No gloves like he used to, no buckled boots with red soles, no jacket. Just the past clinging tightly and trying to scar his conscience.

Bitterness washed over him as he stared at his black shirt. He didn't know whether Prompto did it on purpose, which Noctis knew he possibly couldn't. There were questions flowing in his mind as to why Prompto still had them. They were old. He hadn't worn these clothes in years. He left them behind.

Why hasn't Prompto gotten rid of them?

The more he looked into the mirror, the more Noctis realized he looked the way he used to be. His hair had grown a little longer and he had forgotten to shave his beard, but that's nothing a razor couldn't fix. He groomed himself in the bathroom and studied himself. After many years, his complexion and become rough. The clothes he wore didn't look quite right on him as his attire turned more formal and sophisticated that befitted his regal standing, like the one his father wore.

Finding scissors in the drawer, Noctis attempted to bring his boyish appearance back with his bangs, but he stopped and put the equipment back to where it came from. He wasn't going back to how everything was. Prompto had made it clear to him that everything was pretend and he didn't consider changing his looks.

Noctis reminded himself that it was just two weeks.

Just two weeks.


	5. Carvings on the Tree

" _My idle hands and restless mind—  
_ _into darkness, begin to delve._

 _Seldom do I think of you,  
but today I thought of little else."  
-Lang Leav_

* * *

 **20160 – 336**

* * *

Earlier in their marriage, there were times when Noctis overslept. He would wake up late in the afternoon with brunch prepared on the bedside table. Prompto never bothers to wake him up. He often reasoned that he wanted Noctis to get as much rest as possible.

When Noctis would sit up from their bed, he'd find the bathroom door open and mirror all covered up in fog due to the steam. Prompto would take a shower and the sound of running water played along while he sang his favorite song.

"I want to ride my chocobo all day _!"_

And Noctis would groan, dragging himself to the bathroom wide awake. "Ugh, Promptoooo…"

"What?!" The blonde would then laugh as he opened the sliding shower door, not giving a care about how completely naked he was. "I can't get it out of my head!"

* * *

 _4320_

Noctis was distant and silent. He didn't know how to act, even though Prompto had only requested for him to pretend. How do you even act to pretend? It was a question that had no answers.

Breakfast went a little awkward, but Prompto tried, making Noctis feel like he needed to try and play his part also. Cindy had made coffee. Prompto had requested Noctis' coffee to be hot with extra sugar. Then he requested milk with his iced coffee. When Noctis gave him a look, Prompto beamed a smile at him and sheepishly chuckled. "My bad, I totally forgot you said you haven't been drinking coffee."

"No, it's fine. I'll drink it." Noctis thanked Cindy after taking a sip. "I'm just surprised you still know how I like it."

"I still remember," Prompto said, tapping his temples. Then he opened his mouth, wanting to tell Noctis that every so often he would write and review the things that Noctis liked so he wouldn't forget. In the end, he didn't and closed his mouth, hiding behind a smile.

* * *

"There's a tree that's just down the hill, Noctis." Prompto said when Cindy was cleaning up their breakfast.

"What do you wanna do with a tree?"

For a moment, Prompto gave Noctis a blank stare before looking down. "I want to carve something."

In that moment, it clicked in Noctis' head. He remembered Prompto's old hobby of carving their initials in the bark of trees, saying that it'd be there for the entire world to see. Noctis' face hardened and he frowned. "Prompto—"

"Let's go, Noctis."

There was a strain in his voice. "Please don't do this."

Prompto couldn't help himself. His smile dropped for a visible split second.

"We're only pretending… remember?"

 _Pretend_. That was the keyword. Noctis didn't know why Prompto wanted to do something as cruel as to pretend when they both knew nothing that was happening was real. Nothing was true. He could see how everything was going to hurt the blonde. But still, it was only fourteen days and it was Prompto's one request for signing the papers. It was the most Noctis could do, so in the end, he nodded.

"Alright then." He rose from his seat. "Chop, chop, Prompto."

* * *

In his short time there, he observed that Prompto moved a little slow at things. At first, he thought it was just the fear of anticipating the day that his little ordeal finished and he would have to sign the papers, but it wasn't. Sometimes it would take Prompto a minute to process something complex and when he had to do a task that involved too much labor, there were times he couldn't do it, and Cindy was around to offer him help and take over.

Noctis still couldn't understand the relationship Prompto had with Cindy. Sure, they were friends, but he didn't know whether she had become his housekeeper, maybe new best friend? or rather a girlfriend—though "girlfriend" was out of the question since their interaction seemed strictly between brother and sister. But even if Noctis couldn't draw the line to what it was they had, he knew that Cindy was protective over Prompto for whatever reason.

As he waited outside the balcony, he couldn't help but hear Prompto and Cindy's conversation around the corner. With ears perked and sharp hearing senses, Noctis couldn't help but eavesdrop.

"You sure you wanna walk that far today?" he could hear Cindy's concerned voice ask.

"I've ran and walked down there plenty of times, Cindy. I'll be alright."

"That was before, hun…"

"It's okay. I have Noctis."

The conversation ended there. In the next few minutes, Noctis saw Prompto turn a corner and start walking towards him. Behind Prompto, Cindy tried to keep a happy look on her face as she waved to both to be careful outside, but Noctis could see the distinct look of true concern.

* * *

If Prompto hadn't been walking slow, they would've gotten there in a matter of minutes. Instead, they walked for ten minutes down the path of stairs and only came upon a tree that Prompto was talking about when they went off the trail. After a fair amount of vegetation, Prompto pointed at a tree that seemed to be the father of all trees around it.

Noctis watched as Prompto happily inspected the tree's base. He took a seat as Prompto started to work on his tiny project, humming the chocobo song. The breeze had always felt good up in Cape Caem and he had begun to relax as he looked out towards the sea then back to watch Prompto. As he watched, Noctis felt something warm inside him fluttering just by looking at the sight of the blonde against the gigantic tree. It brought him back to the time when he used to look out for Prompto whenever he did this in the city.

For the first time in a long time, Noctis let his guard down. It was a pleasant sight to see, and he couldn't help the small curl of his lips.

After five minutes of trying to penetrate the hard wood, Prompto huffed and sighed, turning to Noctis. He held out his pocketknife and asked, "Hey, Noct. Can you do it for me?"

Noctis blinked in surprise before rising to his feet and walking over to take the sharp object gently from Prompto. "Why? Is the wood hard to cut?"

Prompto leaned against the wall. "I'm just a little tired."

"A little?" Noctis glanced at him. "Did you sleep well at all last night?"

"Uh." Silence grew for seconds before Prompto answered slowly. "Yeah…"

"Then why are you tired?" Noctis asked, looking back at the tree and inspecting the knife.

"I've just been sick for a while…" Prompto replied.

"I see. Have you been to the doctor?"

"Yeah."

Noctis turned to him. "And?"

"They said it was just a cold," Prompto replied, looking away. "They told me I'll be alright."

"Just a cold, huh?"

Prompto nodded. "Yeah… Just a cold."

Noctis pursed his lips and pointed the knife at the tree with a sigh. "So, what do you want me to write?"

"Binary."

Noctis snorted and gave Prompto a light punch, but smiled softly anyways. "It's always binary with you."

"Sometimes numbers say things that we don't have the courage to say in words," Prompto said, smiling back. "Where words are vague, numbers are precise."

Noctis shook his head. "You're such a nerd."

They paused for a second before Noctis moved again and Prompto told him the sequence along the way. By the time Noctis was done, an hour and a half had passed. In the end, it wasn't wasted time. They walked about the past and the times that made them laugh until tears were pouring out of their eyes. Their heavy chest heaved off some weight.

Prompto laughed for the first time in so long and it seemed to unlock something in Noctis' buried heart and closed ears as his beautiful laughter filled them. For a long time, Noctis was deprived of the laugh that made him look twice at Prompto back in their college years. And now, with the ringing back in his life, Noctis was flooded with different kinds of emotions. He didn't know what to feel. All he knew was that he felt warmness inside his chest and the beating of his heart was coming back to life. And fast.

By the time it was all done, Prompto seemed less tired and they walked back together to the house with Prompto's staggered space. Noctis joked about Prompto's clumsiness and extended his hand to help him, leaving behind a message near bottom of the hill that said:

"01110000 00101110 01110011 00101110 00100000 01001001 00100111 01101101 00100000 01110011 01110100 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01101100 01101111 01110110 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01110100 01101000 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 00101110"

And if Noctis had known Binary the way Prompto did, he would have known what the numbers were trying to tell him.

 _p.s. I'm still in love with you._

* * *

That night, Noctis felt something warm crawl into bed with him. When his eyes opened, he saw the outline of Prompto's figure standing over him against the moonlight. His husband looked almost ethereal, and in a quiet voice, Prompto asked, "Can I sleep with you tonight?"

He knew he should've hesitated, but Noctis didn't. He moved and flipped the covers over. "Come here, Prom…"

Slowly, Prompto laid down next to him. He kept his distance and faced the other way, but it was Noctis who unexpectedly put the same sheet over him and closed the distance they had to share warmth. It wasn't necessary. There was nothing in their deal about physical contact.

"You okay?" Noctis asked softly, rubbing Prompto's back.

"Yeah… Just…" He listened as Prompto let out a shuddered laugh. "Bad dream."

Empathizing with him, Noctis snaked his arms around Prompto's waist and pulled him closer. "It's okay," he consoled Prompto gently, trying to make his body turn so they could face each other. When Prompto uncomfortably shifted to face him, their eyes met.

"It's okay." Noctis said again, slightly tightening his grip. "I'm here."

The sudden action surprised Prompto for a second. His blue eyes widened as Noctis' gaze focused on him. A part of him wanted to get up and leave. It must've been a mistake. He just wanted to feel Noctis' presence. But when Noctis detected the blonde's restlessness, he smiled weakly and pulled Prompto's head to settle on the surface of his beating heart.

"Noct—"

The comfort he was giving Prompto didn't have to go physically far. But there he was, tangling his fingers and brushing through the blonde locks in front of him. The scent of Prompto's hair was calming and he pressed himself closer towards Prompto's warm body, drifting back to sleep.

"I'm right here, okay?" Noctis mumbled in his sleep. "I'm right beside you."

Prompto's heart skipped a beat. As he melted into his husband's strong arms, he held back his tears by biting his lips, trying to fall back to sleep.

* * *

 **Author's Note** : Rini (jixue), this chapter's for you.


	6. Wishing

" _There is one who you belong to, whose love—there is no song for.  
And though you know it's wrongful, there is someone else you long for._

 _Your heart was once a vessel, it was filled up to the brim;_  
 _Until the day he left you, now everything sings of him._

 _Of the two who came to love you, to one your heart, you gave.  
He is in all the stars above you—in the love who came and stayed." –L.L._

* * *

 **20160; 336**

* * *

 _Ring. Ring._

"Hello?"

"Prompto! Emergency!"

"What!? Are you okay!?"

"Yeah! I have a bad case of the missing-Prompto disease. If I can't see you, I think I'm gonna die."

"Who the hell says that kind of stuff, Noct!? I thought something bad happened to you!"

Laughter echoed on the line. "So, are you free tonight?"

"No! Go away!"

"C'mon Prom, please?"

"…"

"Prompto…"

A helpless sigh escapes. "Fine, yes. I'm free. _But_ , I was planning to go stargazing. There's supposed to be a falling star tonight…"

"Okay, yeah. Stargazing. Never done it before, but whatever. I'm gonna sneak out, I'm gonna go see you."

"What!? You're freaking crazy! I don't want to be held accountable for whatever happens to you!"

"What kind of best friend are you?"

"The best one. Noct! Class is starting next week, we'll see each other again."

"Next week is a week too long… I haven't seen you in two days. I'll do anything."

"…You're not even going to listen to me even if I told you to stay there, aren't you…"

"Nope."

"…You picking me up?"

"Yup. Let's grab something to eat too. Haven't eaten Crow's Nest in a while. Iggy's been on my ass."

"See what happens when you don't eat your vegetables?"

"Ugh, Prompto… Shit, I gotta go, my dad's coming. I'll see you later. Bye!"

"Wait—Noct, don't forget your— _ah damnit._ " The line had already ended. "Don't forget your jacket…"

* * *

 _5760_

They spent the next day fishing. Noctis hasn't used his powers to materialize the fishing gears that he stored in his magical space for so long. He surprised himself by catching fishes fairly well. Prompto brought a camera to take photos of him while he unwinded.

After an hour passed, Prompto dropped on the ground dramatically. "Can't you catch us something bigger?" He whined.

"Shut it, blondie. I'm just a little rusty."

"Rusty, huh?" Prompto raised his brow and stood next to Noctis. "Then ease off on the reeling. The fish line looks like it's gonna snap."

"How do you remember these things?" Noctis asked him, impressed.

"You used to fish for _hours_ , Noct. I used to be there." Shrugging, Prompto took a photo of his reaction. "When was the last time you ever fished?"

"A long time." Noctis admitted and failed to mention it had been years since he had done it.

Hours had passed, Noctis had gotten the hang of fishing once again. Prompto cheered him on and smiled at him, complimenting and praising him for remember so well despite the years of lacking practice.

While Noctis fished, he took quick glances of Prompto who was happily going through the shots he had taken on his camera. Every so often, Prompto would whistle then yawn, but then he would look up at Noctis, who would quickly look away to avoid meeting his eyes, to smile and stretch before sitting down on the ground.

When Noctis took another turn to look at Prompto, he noticed the blonde grimace in pain.

"You okay?" Noctis asked.

"Yeah…" Prompto held onto the side of his stomach but chuckled. "Just craving for fish and you're taking your _beautiful_ time."

Noctis rolled his eyes. "Careful there, Prom. Your royal highness will get salty."

"Gladio's not here to say that," Prompto pointed out with a tease. "But you're totally right. Keep going, your majesty."

Prompto would look upset because the filters on his camera didn't match the setting, but Noctis would nudge him with his shoulder and give him a smile. Then, they'd continue on with their hobbies—Prompto attempting several snaps—while Noctis threw his fishhook towards the sea after respooling the line. They'd talk stories and shared laughs some more. And Noctis thought he wouldn't have traded this day for anything else.

* * *

When the sun set, the stars shun their way out. Noctis, happy with a bucket full of fish he had caught, walked back with Prompto back home. Prompto sneezed on the way and started to rub his hands. The temperature suddenly dropped with the breeze that nearly swept him off his feet, but Noctis took his jacket off and put it over Prompto's shoulders.

Prompto jumped in surprise when he looked up to the unveiled fisherman.

"I'm not that cold." Noctis said slowly, looking away. "Wouldn't want your cold to get worse."

"Ah… Right… th-thanks…"

After dinner, Cindy insisted she washed the dishes and Prompto refused. He wanted to help. The woman bickered with him back and forth, and Noctis watched in pure interest, speechless as Prompto got called off by her. Cindy grabbed the emptied plates and told Noctis to get Prompto before she decides to throw a plate towards his way. Noctis stood up almost too fast as he gently grabbed the blonde towards the living room after the cleaned the dining table.

When the stars were fully out, swimming like fishes and the sky was their ocean, Prompto took a blanket outside and invited Noctis. Behind their house, a balcony was built and Prompto set the blanket down. Noctis helped him and they laid the fabric down together.

* * *

Lying on their backs, they lied in comfortable silence as they watched the stars above glow. Prompto still wore Noctis' jacket and he hasn't asked for it back. And when Noctis commented on how rare the stars were in the city, Prompto let the thought slip away and mentioned the pollution.

"They keep you from seeing these beautiful stars. It distracts you."

Noctis sighed and nodded. "It keeps me from seeing this every night. It's always just the city lights outside my window."

"Yeah…" Prompto agreed gently. "It does that."

"I should do something about it, huh?" Noctis raised his hand like he was reaching for the stars. "Promote a healthy ecological system. Plant more trees, yenno?"

Prompto chuckled. "Mhm sure, you go and do your king thing, Noct."

Another comfortable silence passed and Noctis turned to Prompto. He was looking up at the stars with so much life in his eyes. As the stars twinkled, so did his beautiful blue orbs. Noctis imaged him all alone, at the very same spot where he lied down, looking up at the sky without him. His stomach churned.

"Prompto?"

The blonde hummed as he turned with his eyebrow raised. "Yeah?"

"Whenever…" Noctis felt the back of his neck turn cold. He was getting nervous. How could he bring up something that was hisfault? Although, yes, given that Prompto had taken part of it, Noctis was the one that started first. And now that he's thinking about it, he felt like shit. Prompto looked happy right now, something Noctis hasn't felt in a while.

"…Noctis?"

"Sorry." Noctis cleared his throat. He shouldn't be feeling the way he was. "Whenever… I was too busy with work and I couldn't…" He gathered up the courage to say it, "come home… Did you do this? All by yourself?"

"Do what?" Prompto blinked. "Stargazing?"

Noctis meekly nodded.

If there was pain, Prompto was good at hiding it.

A gentle smile curled up from Prompto's lips and answered. "Yeah. I'd like to think that you and I were looking at the same sky full of stars. Even if you were far from me, I'd hope things are still the same, yenno? The stars stay the way they are, no matter what happens to us." Prompto repeated once more, "Just like..." then stopped. He wanted to say _love_ , but instead he said, "…our memories."

Noctis' face softened. Gazing up in the sky with no single cloud to ruin the beautiful stars, he welcomed the cold then turned to give Prompto an embrace. They spent the next hour just watching the stars and talking about everything that happened that brought their relationship to the way they were. It was ironic how they laughed it off because even though it was easy to have let the words come out of their mouth, the doing was harder.

When Prompto's tension eased, their conversation ended in silence. Noctis felt the urge to hold his hand but he stopped himself. Even if this one thing, this one thing he's been trying to run away from, was something he's been missing. Every night. Every _fucking_ minute.

"Hey, charming, look! It's a falling star!" The blonde suddenly exclaimed as he turned his body to the sky. As he lifted his hand and pointed, Noctis looked up to catch the sight of the luminous point, leaving a trail behind. "Ohemgee, quick! Close your eyes and make a wish!"

Just before Noctis opened his mouth to comment on Prompto's behavior, Prompto looked up and rolled his eyes. "Oh, for the love of—come _on_! You make like you haven't done it before. Just do it!"

Wanting to point out that they were not children anymore, Noctis stopped when he saw the hopeful look in Prompto's eyes. With a groan, Noctis followed Prompto and closed his eyes wearily. Lips unmoving as both their wishes formulated into their heads.

"Done." Noctis said several seconds later after he opened his eyes. "Happy now?"

Prompto grinned and gave a thumb up. "Mhm!"

"So, what'd you wish for?"

Prompto huffed, "If I tell you, it's not going to come true, remember?"

Noctis paused for a moment. "I'll… tell you mine if you tell me yours," he suggested.

"…And if I still don't wanna?"

"Then that's a shame… What if it had something to do with you?"

Prompto's ears instantly picked up and glanced at the taller male with the corner of his eye. His chin lifted a little and Noctis thought he would drawl but words that he didn't expect came out of the other's mouth.

"Then… that's definitely a shame. You just wasted your wish on something insignificant."

"Prompto…"

"Eh, nevermind. What's done is done, right?" Prompto laughed. "Really though, who would listen to something so silly?"

Biting his lower lip, Noctis gently grabbed one of Prompto's hands. "Did your wish have something to do with me?"

There was a panicked look on Prompto's face. Nodding a bit and sliding off from Noctis' embrace, he managed to answer with a small voice. "Yeah… But no worries, nothing cliché."

"…if I was a God, I'd make it come true."

"Yeah?" Prompto closed his eyes and chuckled. "I'm sure it will, Noct. You and Lady Lunafreya back at the Crown City… Any guy would go over the moon to marry her."

"Oh…" Noctis' smile dropped. "Prom, you asked for fourteen days. Let's let that go for now."

"I'm sorry, yeah. You're right."

If their minds weren't full of so much despair, they could have heard the echoes of their love bounce through the atmosphere, the wind that's been crying out to them even when they were both in different places at the same time.

But their hearts knew something they couldn't ever see—mostly on Noctis' part— the endless trace of love left behind after it's gone.

 _Please give him a happy ending, even if it's not with me._

* * *

On their way back to the house, Prompto yawned.

"You uh… sleeping with me again?" Noctis asked quietly.

Tightening the hold he had on the blanket, Prompto stopped walking. "I… Noct, the other night. Really… Thank you. It won't happen again. It was a mistake, I was just—"

"Wa-Wait, Prompto, ca-calm down." Noctis placed both of his hands on Prompto's shoulders. "I'm sorry for surprising you last night. You had a bad dream and I didn't know what else to do. I'm sorry."

"It sounds like sorry's all you've been saying lately, Noct."

"I'm sorry."

"Stop." Prompto laughed softly. "It's fine. Look, if it's not too much… If it's alright, then can I—"

"Yes." Noctis breathed, catching Prompto by surprise. "I mean—yeah you can."

The two looked at each other, the confusion and surprise plastered on their faces. Prompto blinked a couple of times and Noctis reddened furiously. The conversation was completely silly. The deal was silly. Everything was. The two snorted then bursted into laughter.

"This is ridiculous. Prom, just sleep with me." Noctis sighed and smiled. "I won't do anything."

Prompto returned the smile. "Yeah… Okay then. In our room?"

Noctis felt like he should've taken everything back, but he nodded and opened the door. "Yeah, our room."

* * *

 **Author's Note** : I understand the story kind of sucks right now. It'll get better, I hope. Thank you **jixue** for your comments. I really looked forward to them. ^^ And to the others as well. Thank you.


	7. How to Save a Life

" _I forgot to call you on your birthday.  
You swear you're the last thing on my mind.  
There is nothing I could do to fix it,  
All you ever asked me for was time." -Drake_

* * *

 **20160 - 336**

* * *

The only person Noctis wanted to talk to was him. Prompto was his number one priority.

"Why'd you stop, Noct?" Gladio halted the swing of his sword when Noctis raised his hand for a break during their practice. The materialized weapon on his hand disappeared as he walked up to the table where his phone was ringing.

"Noct! Wanna hit it up at the Crow's Nest?" It was Prompto.

"Yup. On my way." Then Noctis would speed out of the training room without another word.

"What the hell man!?" Gladio would scream in protest as the prince was gone in seconds.

Every time he would see Prompto, he would feel butterflies in his stomach. He wasn't perfect, but to Noctis, Prompto was everything he'd ever wanted in someone. If not a best friend. And as soon as it felt right, Noctis told Prompto how he truly felt, and things were bright and fun. Noctis felt so alive. When they tangled their fingers, and kissed, they were finally able to express their affection and do all the things they wanted to do as a couple.

It felt like a fairytale come true.

Because the person he finally wanted to be with, was finally his.

* * *

 _8640_

Noctis couldn't remember if Prompto had always been so clumsy. The first time Prompto knocked over his glass of water, it seemed like an accident. But when he squinted his eyes over his eyeglasses, he tried to reach another glass twenty minutes later only to knock it down again. The feeling Noctis had that something was wrong had grown stronger, as now he could see the blonde laughing it off and apologizing.

When they settled on the living room floor, they were putting Prompto's game console together against the wall-mounted television so they could play video games, Noctis couldn't help but ask another question. "Are you really okay, Prom?"

Prompto raised a slightly interested brow as he blew the dust off his videogame collections.

"Yeah," he hummed. "I'm fine."

"I meant your health," Noctis clarified. "Are you sure it's just a cold?"

Placing the stacks of games on top the coffee table, he shrugged. "What else could it be? I'm tired all the time 'cause of it."

Noctis felt like there was something more to it, but he didn't pry. "I see you taking medication sometimes," he muttered curiously. "Are those for your cold too?"

Prompto paused before he plugged the console into the outlet. "Yeah… They're for my cold. I get headaches from it sometimes."

"How long have you had your cold?"

"Not too long ago," Prompto lied.

Thinning his lips, Noctis sighed, "Maybe you should go back to the city and get checked by the doctor again."

"Mmm, yeah. Maybe I should."

The atmosphere felt heavy, but as soon as the game flashed on the television screen, it lightened. They had no stakes. No striking deals. No one made a rule of taking off clothing for every round lost, but the laughter and more joke-like insults were all real and no pretend.

* * *

Noctis had promised himself that he wouldn't turn his cellphone on, but before he went to bed, he had to make sure that Ignis was doing okay temporarily taking over his position while he stayed back and fulfilled his terms under Prompto. There were missed calls and texts from Luna, but he chose to ignore them, scrolled to see his father call him and left him text message as well.

 _I'm fine dad, I'm with Prompto._ Noctis reassured his dad through what he sent. _Fourteen days, dad. That's all he asked for._

It didn't take long for his dad to reply to him. _He doesn't have much left, take care of him._

He doesn't have much left? Noctis stared at his phone. He was aware that Prompto was fragile. But it was Prompto who had asked such condition and Noctis only accepted the ordeal because it was the last one. The last request that Prompto will ever ask for anything of him. The thought of not hearing from Prompto suddenly made his chest tight. It's probably just because he was spending his time here and not back in the city. Once this ordeal has finished, divorce papers will process, new relationships will form, time will keep going, and people will move on.

"Hey, Majesty?" Cindy knocked on Noctis' open door. "The bath's ready for you. Prompto already went to bed."

No goodnights? Noctis thought. He turned his phone off, chucked it into the drawer, and let out a helpless sigh. "Noctis is fine, Cindy."

"Okay, Noctis…" It was like she read his mind because she crossed her arms and answered quietly. "Sunshine's tired. Said he wanted to sleep early tonight so I let'im."

"Oh… Okay."

Cindy chewed on her lip and forced a smile as she spoke breathily. "Well, I'm gonna hit the hay, _Noct_. Hadda long day, yenno? So, goodnight. See ya'll tomorrow."

Noctis nodded and made a small wave. "...Goodnight."

* * *

Gladio stared at the paper in front of him. The paper shook on his hands. Eventually, he realized it had been his hands that were shaking. With a bite on his lip, Gladio clasped his hands together tightly to control himself as the paper crumpled into a ball. Trying to keep hot, stinging tears from falling from his eyes, he let out an unsteady breath. He was known as the strong one, therefore he had to be strong. He had promised himself that he was going to be the one that kept everyone grounded, no matter how many times he staggered.

Then again, it's not so easy being strong when the paper at hand was about the possible outcomes his sister would have had if she inhaled the black smoke during the incident at the Rock of Ravatogh. It happened months ago and their family doctor was beyond amazed that Iris could dodge something unexplainable and untreatable. But the scar on her left arm was permanent and he could have done something to avoid it. He could have been there, but he wasn't. He hated himself at that point.

"Gladdy, you shouldn't worry so much. It could've been worse." Iris tried to comfort him. It didn't help much.

Gladio placed the papers down on her bedside table. "Iris, I could've been there. I could've helped you. If I was there to—"

Iris shook her head. "Don't." She took a moment before replying. Her voice was hesitant and her face looked uneasy, but she continued talking anyway. "Look… Prompto was there to save me. If he wasn't there, I could have been seriously injured or like what the doctors said—I could have been dying. Have you talked to Prompto lately?"

"No… But Noct is with him right now," Gladio replied softly. "I was planning on visiting him once Noctis is gone. You know, to thank him for everything."

"Noctis is with him?" Iris clenched her blanket as she raised her tone. "Then… You need to see Prompto and tell Noctis everything!"

"Wait, Iris, keep your voice down." Gladio frowned. "Besides, what's the _truth_? What if Prompto has already told him whatever that truth is? Just call him."

"Noctis is there because Prompto asked him to, right? He's probably lying to him right now." Iris began to tear up. "How can you tell someone you're dying?! That there was a black smoke that came from mountain and anybody who inhaled it got sick, and that he was one of the unfortunate ones because he was trying to save other people!? Prompto gave me his handkerchief to mask the smoke and he took me, Jared, and Talcott to the storage area. This _scar_ on my arm is nothing compared to what he got. I've been with him on some days he went to his doctor. I went with him and Cindy. You have no idea what he's going through. He's not doing so good, Gladdy. He doesn't look so good."

Gladio furrowed his brows. "Those who got sick from the Rock were caused by a miasma. You saying he's sick because of it?"

"The doctors don't know the cause, even the ones who died early. But I know he only has a few years left. Noctis doesn't know about it. Prompto's probably doing his best to keep it—"

"Iris…" Gladio's voice softened. "You… kept this from me this whole time?"

The two siblings shared a depressing silence for a moment.

Iris hesitated but spoke in an apologetic voice. "I promised… He wanted to keep things the way they are and… Cindy and I are trying our best but you guys need to know. You're his friends too and he still loves Noctis and it's wrong that he wants to marry Lady Lunafreya." Her voice cracked and by the time Gladio looked up, she bursted into tears. "It's not fair. _I_ could've been the one who got sick. But he— he stayed out saving everybody else… It's not fair!"

What else could he say at this point? His sister was crying out to him and her voice was filled with so much guilt, the only thing he could do was pull Iris into his arms. As she leaned unto his chest, she cried and cried while he rubbed her back the way he used to when they were little kids. By the time she had fallen asleep, Gladio already had her in bed with the lights turned off. He watched his sister sleep soundlessly and sighed at the red circles under her eyes.

Brushing the hair that covered Iris eyes, Gladio whispered before leaving. "We'll find a way to help Prompto… Don't worry…"

The incident at Ravatogh happened for months. It must have been hard for Iris to keep such a secret but life helped her. Gladio was too occupied with his duties and Ignis was too focused on helping King Regis and tending to Noctis. There was no time for Prompto. There was no time to hang out and catch up on life. It wasn't only hard for her. It was hard for them too.

Gladio reached for his cellphone when he got into his room.

* * *

"...I'm doing this because the former king asked, Gladio. What are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Prompto, damnit!"

"…What's happened to Prompto?"

"You don't know?"

"Know what?"

"…Shit, that's right. We're not supposed know."

"...Gladio?"

"So, the medical examiners found black crystals on the trail to the Rock of Ravatogh?"

"Yes... There were two cases in which their hearts were encapsulated with a black crystal. It was causing some abnormality in their system as the particles separated and flowed into their bloodstream, but it primarily affected their brain. They complained of forgetting things and having terrible headaches. I still have yet to look further into the reports. Seriously, Gladio, what's going on?"

"Can you do me a favor, Iggy?"

"What is it?"

"When you find out more about this, let me know. I need to know how I can help Prompto."

"Prompto, again? Gladio, I'm concerned. It seems Noctis had gone off to spend time with Prompto too."

"Yeah, well… I don't mean to put it bluntly, but it was probably Prompto's request since he's dying soon."

"Prompto was affected by the miasma after the eruption at Ravatogh?"

"Most likely. He saved Iris and wasn't able to evacuate with the rest of the citizens. That black crystal sounds like some evil magic voodoo shit. If Prompto's sick because of it, we gotta do something, Iggy."

"Hmm... Why don't we meet up tomorrow? King Regis asked me to talk to one of the medical examiners and head to Ravatogh. You can come with me."

"Shoot. Let's visit Noct and Prompto too."

"Alright. Sounds like a plan."

The phone line ends.


	8. Black Fedora

**20160 – 336**

* * *

 _10080_

Within that morning, Prompto insisted that Noctis should check on Insomnia. Although it was his request to give up two weeks to be together, he never asked to ignore or avoid his responsibilities. Noctis refused at first, but as he thought about his father and Ignis doing his work, guilt struck him and decided to check turn his phone on and contact them. Maybe a webcam for a couple of hours to discuss important matters wouldn't hurt either. After all, Prompto let him without a complaint.

Prompto gave Noctis the time alone. As Cindy left to grab materials and buy groceries, Prompto decided to go out and have a breather. Before Noctis came with the papers for divorce, he'd been practicing mindfulness. It was difficult, but he was definitely trying, and it was getting him by.

"Why don't you stay with me?" Noctis asked just before Prompto headed out of their room.

Prompto shook his head and smiled. "You go ahead and focus on work, Noct. I've been keeping you."

A frown appeared on Noctis' face. "You know I don't mind."

 _Of course, you mind,_ Prompto thought to himself sadly. _It's the reason why you're leaving._

"No, really. It's all good. I won't take long anyway."

Noctis didn't fight back, but he was aware of the sad smile on the blonde's face. "I won't take long either, Prom. I'll head right down afterwards."

* * *

A couple of hours passed and Noctis was almost finished with the things that Ignis wanted him to sign electronically. His advisor was fast-paced and if it wasn't for Ignis thinking ahead and taking advantage of the time they had, Noctis would have headed back to a pile of papers to sign and read.

By the time Ignis disconnected himself from their webcam, there was a loud knock on the door downstairs. Wondering if Prompto had forgotten his keys to the house, Noctis quickly put his things away before heading down to open the door.

It wasn't Prompto.

The man had maroon hair and amber eyes with a strong smile on his face. He wore a black fedora over his red scarf and hooded gray and white mantle—something a citizen from Lucis wouldn't wear. When Noctis met his gaze, the man removed the black fedora from his head and bowed in respect.

"Pardon my intrusion, but I believe Prompto Argentum resides here," he spoke lightly. "Is he home?"

Noctis felt an overwhelming feeling of danger around the man but kept his expression the same. "Prompto's probably outside. He said he was doing something earlier… who are you?"

Chuckling, the man shook his head. "That was rude of me, I apologize. I'm chancellor Ardyn Izunia from Niflheim."

Noctis crossed his arms against his chest. "So, you're the man everyone's speaking highly of back in Niflheim."

Ardyn observed Noctis for a while and his smile turned wider when his familiarity became clear. "You must be King Noctis! This is embarrassing. What are you doing at Mr. Argentum's house?"

Noctis raised his brow then lowly replied. "He's my husband."

" _Oh?_ " Ardyn's voice raised in interest. "I thought you and the lovely Lady Lunafreya were close…"

"What do you want?"

"I wanted to check on Prompto. He and I worked together during an incident that happened not too long ago…"

"Incident?"

Ardyn had a taunting tone. "I believe you said you were his husband—surely you know about it."

Who does this guy think he is? Noctis kept his composure. "A lot of things happened."

"My, my…" Ardyn playfully teased then put his fedora back on his head. "Then it's best he tells you, instead of me. I should be on my way. I'll look for him and leave quickly."

Noctis watched Ardyn as he slowly left towards the direction of the lighthouse. Prompto must have been up there, because by the time he decided to go to the garden, he heard Prompto call out Ardyn's name and every ounce of uneasiness crept up his on body.

* * *

"How are you, dear Prompto?" Ardyn asked when he made it at the top of the lighthouse.

Prompto's face lit up weakly. "I'm great, Chancellor. Thanks for checking up on me. I know you said you were busy and everything."

"Nonsense, Prompto—and I told you to call me Ardyn. No need for formalities. So, tell me. How's your condition? I do hope after all the treatment, your condition's stabilized."

"Sort of…" Prompto rubbed his arm slightly, avoiding the man's gaze by looking out to the sea. "Let's face it, it's not gonna get better. I want to spend every moment I have left with the ones I love."

Ardyn hummed as he too looked out to the sea.

"I met your husband downstairs. You never mentioned you were married to the King of Lucis."

Prompto nervously chuckled. "It's not exactly something I should be saying to everybody. I'm nothing but a commoner."

"But you were the one he married, has he not? He must love you to have taken such a risk."

"Maybe back then, he did."

"Back then?" Ardyn blinked.

"We're getting a divorce."

"It didn't sound that way when he I talked to him downstairs."

That got Prompto's attention. "What?"

"He said ' _he's my husband_ ' in such a serious tone, I felt like he didn't like me at all."

With a snort, Prompto shook it off. "He probably didn't know what else to say. But yeah, now that you know that… please don't tell anybody about it?"

"Of course not. I swear on Ifrit's throne," Ardyn smiled. "Say… if the divorce does indeed go through, what do you plan on doing?"

It took a while for Prompto to answer. "I wanted to travel…" He said thoughtfully. "Noctis told me I could keep the estate, but I don't think I'd want to stay in a place that gave me so much to remember…"

"I see… Why don't you come to Niflheim?"

Blinking, Prompto gaped at the man beside him. "Huh? Why would I go there?"

"There's a very intelligent professional back in my country. Perhaps I could be of some help and find a cure for your condition."

"Chan—Ardyn, there's no cure for this."

Ardyn hummed once more. "Not if I can do something about it."

* * *

After their conversation, they headed back down. Ardyn watched as Prompto clutched against the rail, his breathing staggered and abrupt. He was in too much pain to see the quick, sly smile, on the man's face as one hand wrapped around his waist and another on his shoulders to support his stance.

"You alright?" Ardyn asked in a concerned tone.

Prompto slightly nodded. "I-I'll be alright, thank you."

When the elevator stopped, Noctis was right below, waiting for them. His face was serious, eyes on Ardyn's arms wrapped on Prompto. If it was jealousy, Prompto was not sure because his feelings were all jumbled up at this point. Ardyn let Prompto go gently, handing him over to Noctis and Noctis took him, his eyes never leaving Ardyn's as he wrapped his arms protectively around Prompto.

"Thank you for visiting, Chancellor," Noctis said quietly.

"Of course…" Ardyn slowly nodded, glancing at Prompto that gave him a meek smile. "Take care of yourself, Prompto. Please do think about what I said, hm?"

"Thanks… I will."

Once Ardyn was heading down the hill and far from them, Noctis cupped Prompto's pale face. "What did he do to you? What did you guys talk about?"

"W-What? He didn't do anything to me, Noct. He was just checking if I was okay."

"Then what did he want you to think about?"

Prompto's eyes slightly widened at his husband's sudden curiosity. "H-He—you know how I said I had a bad cold? I had this cold for a while now… and Ardyn was kind of hoping I'd go to Niflheim to meet a doctor so they could find a suitable treatment for me…"

"Treatment?" Noctis frowned. "Prom, you never told me your cold was that serious."

"It's not! I promise it's not, Noct."

"Then let me find a doctor for you, you don't need to travel to Niflheim to get your cold checked."

"No…" Prompto looked down, biting his tears. "I promise I'm okay…"

* * *

They curled up together under a blanket on the living room couch. It was supposed to be the three of them, but a civilian stopped at the bottom of the hill asking for help because his car had broken down, so it was just the two of them—Noctis and Prompto—who watched A Walk To Remember, one of Prompto's favorite sap-movies. Noctis prepared himself because he knew that Prompto would be soaked with tears in the end, but to his surprise, the weary blonde, who was once again too tired, had fallen asleep leaning against his shoulder.

It wasn't even half past eleven and they hadn't done much today. Yet, there Prompto slept. He looked peaceful even in the dark with only the light from the television illuminating his face. Noctis took mental note of it. With the television light, his skin colored pale and his freckles concealed.

Deciding that he didn't want Prompto waking up sore with a stiff neck from sleeping in such position, Noctis rose from the couch and picked Prompto up in his arms.

He paused and raised his brow at how quickly he managed to carry Prompto. Had he always been this light?

Cindy came in on time and washed her hands quickly to help, trailing right behind Noctis until he set Prompto in his own bed. Noctis pulled his shoes off and pulled on the covers until it covered his body up to his shoulders. He turned to face Cindy, who watched everything that he did.

"Was he always this tired?"

There was a pause. "Not always," she answered his question.

Looking at Prompto's sleeping figure, Noctis sighed. "He said he's had a cold for a while now."

"A cold huh…" Cindy softly repeated as she crossed her arms to her chest.

"I didn't think any of us could get a cold that bad."

"Mmm, well. It's different for everybody, I guess." Cindy mumbled dryly. "Yenno, different viruses and all…"

"He's real light too," Noctis' eyebrows knitted together. "Has he been eating well?"

"Why do you suddenly sound like you care?" She snapped. Noctis was taken aback from her tone. "My bad darlin', just a 'lil tired. You've been eating with him day and night; does it look like he's been eating well?"

"Well, yeah."

"Then that done answer your question."

Noctis didn't sound convinced. "Tell him to get medical attention if it gets worse. I'll even call our royal physician if I have to."

Cindy was about to say something, but as she opened her mouth words failed to go through. Her shoulders drooped and nodded. "I'll tell him." As she stood there for a few more minutes looking at the blonde before figuring out that Noctis wanted to be alone with Prompto. She said her goodnight and left the room.

Noctis' gaze turned complete onto Prompto as he walked up to the bed. Lifting his hand, he tucked the blonde locks out of Prompto's face. While touching the strands, he noticed the texture of them. They weren't as soft or slick like they used to be— or at least how he remembered. Noctis didn't know what to think again. In his head, he thought it might have been stress and he was adding on to it. When he looked over his shoulder, he saw the laptop that Prompto had open and his camera plugged in next to it.

In the end, Noctis rationed that it was stress probably from working too hard on his portfolio. He knew how successful Prompto has been and deadlines were probably eating his strength away. Leaning down, Noctis hesitated at first, but he surrendered to his desire.

Trying to make sure Prompto doesn't wake up, Noctis kissed the top of his forehead and let his lips stay there for a moment. His lips lingered at Prompto's warm skin and in a matter of seconds, he pulled back, looked at his husband once more and stepped out of the room.

"Goodnight… Prom."

* * *

 **AN** : Sorry for the late update, currently dying in my advanced clinical classes. Will go back to my pace when there's less skill/written exams involved.


	9. Unfold

" _Some people don't know what they have until it's gone._

 _But what about the ones who do know?  
The ones who never took a damn thing for granted?  
Who tried their hardest to hold on,  
yet could only look on helplessly while they lost the thing they loved most?_

… _Isn't it so much worse for them?" –Lang Leav_

* * *

 **20160 – 336**

* * *

Mrs. Argentum packed some of Prompto's belongings. As she grabbed the photos plastered on his wall, her heart broke with every glance she took of her son's smiling face next to Noctis and their beloved friends. How had things gotten this bad? She couldn't comprehend how fast the years had gone. She couldn't put together how something so precious slip from their fingertips so easily.

 _He's gone_. Prompto had told them. _But that's okay, because I kinda will be gone too…_

Remembering those words made her drop to the ground and let out a loud cry.

There were so many things she still had to tell him. So many things she wished she had said sooner. Now that time was running out for him, she wasn't sure if Prompto could handle the truth if she were to tell him. There were so many truths he had to accept already. His life slipping away, his husband leaving him for someone else, and the truth about his whole being would break him. The thought of it was breaking her.

Mr. Argentum came up and held her close. "Hey, it's okay. It's okay."

It's _not_ okay.

He's gone through a lot and he's still going through more. When Cindy had told her Noctis came over with divorce papers on hand, she blew up. And after she checked up on them after a few days, Prompto still had told him about his sickness.

At this point, it's never going to be okay.

But as her son's joyful laughter resonated in her head, exhaustion took over her and she fell into a helpless slumber in her husband's arms.

She'll find a way. There has to be one.

* * *

 _11520_

During their rift, Noctis was often too busy to ever pay attention to Prompto's photography and his work. He knew Prompto's interests in general, but work always caused him to be too tired to care. In the afternoon, for the first time, Noctis sat down and listened to Prompto's plans for his next upcoming portfolio.

Prompto moved slowly, but Noctis was used to his pace by now. He was also used to Prompto occasionally forgetting things or having stalled responses then brushing it off with a sheepish laugh. It also wasn't a rare occasion for Prompto to rub his eyes and close them for a while with deep breaths. Noctis, trying to do what he could to make him feel better, would go and retrieve water whenever possible.

Papers scattered throughout the living room floor. There were small papers with notes on them as well as stapled packets of locations of possible places for photoshoots. Prompto had spread them out for Noctis to see and he watched as Prompto struggled to organize them the way he wanted—if that was why he kept looking frustrated and confused.

"So," Prompto started with a smile, "these are all my ideas and plans."

"That's a lot," Noctis commented as he blinked, looking at the mess. "Are these the ideas you had years ago?"

"No. I threw away everything I had back then."

Noctis raised a brow. "Uh… Everything?"

Nodding, Prompto confirmed. "I threw everything away in late spring."

"Why?"

"I wanted to start over. I realized I've been taking random shots."

"Well, nonsense is kinda your thing, isn't it?" Noctis said, offering a smile.

Prompto returned a small smile. "It is, but I wanted to try something different. That's all."

Glancing down at the words on paper, Noctis grinned. "Well, I'm pretty sure it's gonna be good. Just like the rest. It's always been."

Looking at Noctis, Prompto's eyes twinkled as his lips curved. "Thanks, Noct."

"No biggie."

After a moment, Prompto asked, "Will you come?"

Noctis blinked. "To your show?"

Nodding, Prompto said, "Yeah. Once Vyv approves." Then he added, "I won't make you promise me that you _have_ to come though. I already told you that the last two weeks are all I'll ever ask of you…"

Feeling a heavy tug on his heart, Noctis lifted a hand and turned Prompto's face towards him. "I'll come to see them, Prompto."

Prompto looked more sad than happy, which was the complete opposite of what Noctis expected. Biting his lips for a second, Prompto nodded again then let out another smile. "Thanks."

"No problem."

When Prompto paused for a second to close his eyes and take in deep breaths, Noctis looked at him with a concerned face. "Headache?"

"Yeah…" Prompto nodded weakly, rubbing his temples. "Headache."

* * *

"This is too much, Prompto. I've had enough. I can't take it anymore."

As Prompto looked up from his scattered photographs and magazines, Cindy looked at him with glossy eyes. She looked like she was about to cry.

"You can't take what?" Prompto asked softly with his hoarse voice.

Cindy sighed as she handed him two pills and a glass of water, shaking her head sympathetically.

"You look terrible. I can't believe Noctis is playing along this lil game of yers."

Ignoring the comment about Noctis, Prompto sighed. "I look worse than I feel."

"You sure 'bout that?" She questioned, crossing her arms. "I feel like it's the other way 'round."

Prompto couldn't say anything. He knew Cindy was only worried about him. He took the medication quietly and drank water to push the medicine down. Astrals, he hated the taste. If he could, he would have stopped taking it already, but his parents refused for him to stop and Prompto wanted to finish his portfolio before his body deteriorates completely.

There was so much he had left to do. He just wished he had more time.

Two years was the longest, the doctors said.

Just two years.

 _You're blessed._

 _Not many take that long._

But that didn't make Prompto feel any better.

His parents suggested they go back to Niflheim. They wouldn't have anything left once he's gone and he wanted to fulfill that wish. He wouldn't want to leave them sad memories. He already hurt them when he said he was sick.

Prompto had promised himself that he'd keep fighting for those he cared about. That's why he took those shitty medications. That's why he did what he could to spend time with them.

He had no battle left to fight for Noctis. The divorce papers inaudibly expressed who had already won and Prompto was okay with that.

"Please rest for the rest of the day," Cindy kneeled in front of him and whispered, placing her hands on his shoulders with a gentle squeeze. "I saw how you could barely stand. That's why Noctis has been getting you water… and now he's off to get your things upstairs. Look, I'll help you stand. Just please go and get some rest… I'll tell Noctis you'll come down for dinner."

"Cinds, I had the whole night to rest," Prompto reasoned out. "And I'm just doing my job."

"Vyv told'ja to take it easy. You're doing nothin' but torturing y'self, sweetheart. If you told him the truth—"

Prompto stared at his half-empty glass.

"You wouldn't understand."

Cindy chewed on her lower lip. "You're right, I don't. But yenno what I understand? That you only have _this_ much time left and you ain't letting yourself be happy. You're gonna get more and more sick and he's gonna leave without even knowing what's happenin' to you."

"It wouldn't be fair…" Prompto answered softly, tracing his ring finger. "It would be selfish and wrong to take away the Noctis' happiness. I can't leave this world knowing I've done that."

"What in the Astrals' name are you talkin' about?" Cindy gasped incredulously. "How can you say that it's selfish and wrong?! Him not knowing and treating you this way _is_ selfish and wrong. There ain't nothing wrong with telling your husband the truth. C'mon, Prompto. You know it."

He did know. A bigger part of him just wouldn't allow himself to say the truth.

Prompto slowly got up by himself. "I knew the consequences that came with my request. He'll think I'm playing with him, and that's the last thing I want."

"Well the last thing I want is him leaving without getting a buncha facial bruises all over his precious face."

Noctis appeared in the living room with a box on his hands. "Who're we talking about?"

Silence.

Convincing Prompto to tell the truth failed and there's nothing more she could feel besides the swelling anger and guilt inside of her, but she knew better. Prompto squeezed her hand in plead and Cindy could only half-heartedly smile at Noctis before her shoulders dropped in defeat.

"I'll leave you two alone," she murmured softly, then she was gone.

Noctis stared at Prompto struggle to keep himself up. After placing the box to the ground, he reached out and helped him sit on the couch.

"You look tired, Prompto. You should rest."

Prompto stuck out his tongue. "Cindy was just telling me the same thing."

"Then majority rules." Noctis smiled, ruffling his hair. "I'm kinda sleepy too anyway. So, whaddya say?"

There was a hint of hesitation on Prompto's part but Noctis' hands were inviting, he couldn't help returning the smile that Noctis had on his face. As they walked up the stairs, Cindy's words echoed in his head; should he really tell Noctis? What if his actions change completely? What if he acts kinder towards him because of pity?

Prompto didn't realize he was staring at Noctis for a while until he started laughing.

"Is there something on my face?"

"Wh-what? No! Sorry! I was just spacing out. My bad."

Noctis raised a brow then resumed back to supporting him up the stairs. "Okaaaaay, if you say so."

Prompto decided he'll tell Noctis.

He'll tell him.

When they finally said their goodbyes. When the divorce papers have been signed and on his hands.

When Noctis' feet are outside the door and won't be turning back.

He'll tell him then.

Not now.

* * *

 _After dinner, Mrs. Argentum sat down next to her husband in their study._

" _Is something the matter, dear?"_

"… _I want to take Prompto back to Niflheim."_

"… _What?"_

* * *

 **AN** : I initially meant to post this chapter last month, but my son got sick and I had school. I shouldn't be making excuses, but hey, life's life. Anywho, this is not beta'd again. Just wanted to make a short shoutout to **Red SongBird** who reached out to me through PM. I don't think I would have posted it if it hadn't been for you. Sending lots of love to you.

I hope everyone had a wonderful thanksgiving.


End file.
